Customer Rating:  
Summary: Angry!!!
Comment: I have to read Outliers to understand how a nine year old gets a three book deal and all I got was rampant Poverty and Neglect.
The book was cute, but, I'm still angry that a nine year old has more money and success than I do at 33.
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Summary: Dr. Holstein, author of The Truth, is delighted to find Alex as a wonderful example of the wisdom of kids.
Comment: The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know EverythingAs a positive psychologist determined to teach the world that kids really are powerhouses of wisdom and we should listen more often, I was thrilled to find How to Talk to Girls. Although crushes and the how to's of dating are far from all there is in life, I think we forget as adults how important relationship skills are to young people, whether they are nine or 19. In fact, in The Truth (I'm a girl, I'm smart and I know everything), the fictional diary of a 10 year old girl, the first page in her diary is all about her sudden crush on Paul. Her world is turned upside down by the crush and the issues (not easily resolved) weave themselves throughout the plot of the book. So Alex, you are right on! You are aware, even before the full storm of growing up happens, of one of the topics that occupy a lot of mental and emotional energy. The book is delightful and is not only helpful but really confirms the marvelous capacities of observation and knowledge that kids really have. They can learn from us, but boy, can we learn from them!
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Summary: "Boy genius solves the mysteries of the ages"
Comment: "How to Talk To Girls" is as delightful as advertised, and the wisdom of the ages presents itself in simple terms written by a nine year old that even the most hardened adult can read and learn from with a smile on one's face. Please anticipate,How to Talk to Girls but don't look ahead for a great ending to cap it off.
Customer Rating:
Summary: oh for heaven's sake...
Comment: It's a book for EIGHT-YEAR-OLDS, written by an EIGHT-YEAR-OLD for a school project. It ain't gonna contain the wisdom of the ages.
That said, it's not bad general advice for people of any age or sex. Be well-groomed. Be a good listener. Don't be a show-off. Be wary about people who spend too much energy on their appearance. Keep in mind that love ain't everything and everyone gets their heart broken occasionally. Overdoing things and acting desperate will scare off the object of your affections.
(Oh, and to the reviewer who said that there's no way a fourth-grader could know what "desperate" means...I think most fourth-graders know what that means. It's not exactly an uncommon word or concept.)
Some people are up in arms about the idea of a "dating" book written by and for grade schoolers; it's a sign of kids growing up too fast nowadays, etc. Well, I'm pretty sure that when Dante and Beatrice met they were, respectively, nine and eight years old. This was in the year 1272. Kids Alec Greven's age have been developing crushes on each other for at least 700 years. He isn't writing advice about how to get female classmates to have oral sex with him in the back of the schoolbus...he's writing about how to talk to them. It's pretty innocent, and how to talk to the opposite sex IS a topic a lot of kids that age are interested in.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Two Stars for Effort
Comment: I can't believe that the main argument of supporters of this book is that it is cute and should not be taken seriously at all. If I wanted cute I could buy a picture book, a stuffed animal or a silly movie for the price of this book. A book should be written because it has something to tell the world, somethig that needs to be shared or revealed or even to get us to pause and take in a beautiful moment or memory. Books should never be based on the 'cute factor', and should not be defended as such.
This book is also billed for ages 8-80, meaning that the publisher is wanting adults to get something out of this book too, in fact looking at all the publicity that seems to be the prime target not children in the author's own age group. Since part of the target audience is adults, and the little boy that wrote this was not attempting to be cute but rather attempting to make a serious statement, his work should be judged as such.
Quite frankly, there is nothing new and insightful in this book. Perhaps to third graders yes - but even at that age they should have at least some idea that if they take care of how they look more people will like them. This is common sense and if you don't have this or choose to ignore it by the time you are a teenager, then no book will help you.
I do believe this book was published because it was seen as cute - mostly based on the issue it talked about. It was seen as adorable that a little 8 year old was talking about relationships and doing 'research' out on the playground (the latter being quite insightful but most just think that it's cute). An eight year old writing about love makes about as much sense as someone teaching an elephant to talk - neither work. I sincerely hope that this little boy does not become defined by this book or that his later writing career - should he choose to have one - is not suffocated by this book.
It is nice to see a young child choosing to donate the money they earn to a cause - hopefully it was his idea. As a cancer survivor that means a lot. But to anyone buying this book as an 'excuse' to donate to cancer research: you do not have to have a reason to donate. The American Cancer Society can tell you how you can donate not just your money but also your time to cancer patients - and anything you give personally will far outweigh the small royality cut that this book will garner. I sincerely hope he does research his $100,000 goal.
As a caveat - I am not writing this as an attack on a little boy who wrote something he thought his classmates needed to know, but rather the press around this book. MSNBC has him tagged as a guru of all things, which to me is a mistake. It is painfully obvious that this book was brought into existence because of the subject matter alone - and if he had done an equally well written fantasy story, none of us would know who he was. It is also a good comment on society's preoccupation on sex and relationships - especially when 8 year olds become obessed over a relationship, locking themselves in their rooms and being depressed. This is a warning sign and we should thank this little boy for giving it to us.
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