Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com
As the title suggests, MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL is a how-to guide for kids who like to cause a little mayhem. It includes set-up details (make a plan, find a partner, etc.) and step-by-step instructions for carrying out specific pranks. My favorite parts were the tales about actual pranks that people have pulled off. The book demonstrates how a successful prank can be a thing of beauty.
MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL contains clever tidbits for not only the budding prankster, but anyone who is attracted to a life of crime. For instance, it explains that people whose appearance attracts attention will be suspects when any mischief occurs. Therefore, if you're about to pull a prank (or do anything else that you don't want to get busted for), it's a good idea to blend in. If you dress like a clean-cut member of the Young Republicans Club, no one will suspect you of wrongdoing. Who knows? If you're clean-cut enough, you might even accidentally get elected to Congress. And wouldn't that be an excellent prank?
The book offers information and ideas about a wide variety of pranks, gags, and hoaxes. You can learn where to buy fireworks, how to photocopy a giant picture of a butt, disgusting recipes like hot sauce-flavored tarts, and the art of making a catapult. There's also a web site for readers where they can find resources to help pull off pranks and register their progress toward becoming Master Mischief Makers.
I got a kick out of this book and took away a number of funny ideas from it. The part of my personality that includes a sense of humor thinks this is a terrific resource for kids. At the same time, I can't shake the concern that the MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL provides plans for some questionable, if not downright illegal, activities. Yes, the book is careful to start with a code about what kinds of pranks one should avoid. There are similar warnings interspersed throughout the book, including the importance of not hurting animals or destroying property. At the end, it even lists possible consequences should a prankster get caught.
Still, I'm not wild about telling someone, "Don't do this. But here's how to do it, and it's hilarious!" For instance, ideas for prank phone calls are provided, including instructions for disabling caller I.D. so your victim doesn't know who you are. According to reports on the Internet (so the accuracy is questionable), some people claim they had been charged with harassment as a result of making annoying calls. Is it ridiculous for prank victims to get so worked up over a phone call? Maybe, but people get worked up over all sorts of odd things, and it's hard to predict what will set somebody off.
While I was reading this book, I went on a college visit to a school where I heard about a prank gone terribly wrong. Back in 2003, some students trampled crop circles into a plot of corn that was being grown by the university's agriculture department. The corn was growing in a little plot right in the middle of campus, and the prank made it look like aliens had left crop circles at a major university. The prank seemed to follow the rules set forth in the MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL: No one got hurt, there was no permanent damage since the corn would grow back next year, it was funny and creative. But instead of giving everyone a good chuckle, the act was called "vandalism," police were called, and the culprits hunted down. It turned out that the plot of corn was a National Historic Landmark because it was the longest-term continuous corn plot in the world. Decades of research was jeopardized. No one chuckled.
The MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL is an interesting, fun book that could be at the heart of many happy years of pranking mayhem. At the same time, the boring old lady part of me feels that readers must be careful about following its advice. Yes, the author warns against blatant acts of stupidity, but one person's harmless prank might be another person's felony. It seems there's a fine line between a hilarious, successful prank and an act of vandalism that could get you arrested or expelled or both. In other words, if you have any doubt whether a prank is safe or if it will go over well, then don't try it at home - or anywhere else, for that matter.
As the title suggests, MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL is a how-to guide for kids who like to cause a little mayhem. It includes set-up details (make a plan, find a partner, etc.) and step-by-step instructions for carrying out specific pranks. My favorite parts were the tales about actual pranks that people have pulled off. The book demonstrates how a successful prank can be a thing of beauty.
MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL contains clever tidbits for not only the budding prankster, but anyone who is attracted to a life of crime. For instance, it explains that people whose appearance attracts attention will be suspects when any mischief occurs. Therefore, if you're about to pull a prank (or do anything else that you don't want to get busted for), it's a good idea to blend in. If you dress like a clean-cut member of the Young Republicans Club, no one will suspect you of wrongdoing. Who knows? If you're clean-cut enough, you might even accidentally get elected to Congress. And wouldn't that be an excellent prank?
The book offers information and ideas about a wide variety of pranks, gags, and hoaxes. You can learn where to buy fireworks, how to photocopy a giant picture of a butt, disgusting recipes like hot sauce-flavored tarts, and the art of making a catapult. There's also a web site for readers where they can find resources to help pull off pranks and register their progress toward becoming Master Mischief Makers.
I got a kick out of this book and took away a number of funny ideas from it. The part of my personality that includes a sense of humor thinks this is a terrific resource for kids. At the same time, I can't shake the concern that the MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL provides plans for some questionable, if not downright illegal, activities. Yes, the book is careful to start with a code about what kinds of pranks one should avoid. There are similar warnings interspersed throughout the book, including the importance of not hurting animals or destroying property. At the end, it even lists possible consequences should a prankster get caught.
Still, I'm not wild about telling someone, "Don't do this. But here's how to do it, and it's hilarious!" For instance, ideas for prank phone calls are provided, including instructions for disabling caller I.D. so your victim doesn't know who you are. According to reports on the Internet (so the accuracy is questionable), some people claim they had been charged with harassment as a result of making annoying calls. Is it ridiculous for prank victims to get so worked up over a phone call? Maybe, but people get worked up over all sorts of odd things, and it's hard to predict what will set somebody off.
While I was reading this book, I went on a college visit to a school where I heard about a prank gone terribly wrong. Back in 2003, some students trampled crop circles into a plot of corn that was being grown by the university's agriculture department. The corn was growing in a little plot right in the middle of campus, and the prank made it look like aliens had left crop circles at a major university. The prank seemed to follow the rules set forth in the MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL: No one got hurt, there was no permanent damage since the corn would grow back next year, it was funny and creative. But instead of giving everyone a good chuckle, the act was called "vandalism," police were called, and the culprits hunted down. It turned out that the plot of corn was a National Historic Landmark because it was the longest-term continuous corn plot in the world. Decades of research was jeopardized. No one chuckled.
The MISCHIEF MAKER'S MANUAL is an interesting, fun book that could be at the heart of many happy years of pranking mayhem. At the same time, the boring old lady part of me feels that readers must be careful about following its advice. Yes, the author warns against blatant acts of stupidity, but one person's harmless prank might be another person's felony. It seems there's a fine line between a hilarious, successful prank and an act of vandalism that could get you arrested or expelled or both. In other words, if you have any doubt whether a prank is safe or if it will go over well, then don't try it at home - or anywhere else, for that matter.
