Jon Scieszka's Guys Read anthology series for tweens turns to nonfiction in its fifth volume, True Stories. The fifth installment in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading features ten stories that are 100% amazing, 100% adventurous, 100% unbelievable—and 100% true. A star-studded group of award-winning nonfiction authors and journalists provides something for every reader, all aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Compiled and edited by real-life literature legend Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: True Stories is a mind-blowing collection of essays, biographies, how-to guides, and more, all proving that the truth is most definitely out there.
Supports the Common Core State Standards
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Interesting Non-Fiction
By Mark Baker - Carstairs Considers
This collection of ten non-fiction essays/stories covers quite a spectrum and will have something to appeal to just about everyone. The collection starts with an amazing tale of survival when a ship was wrecked off the coast of Africa during the early 1800’s. We also get the story of a man who survived a bear attack from nearly the same period and memories of a small river canoer and growing up as the youngest sister with six older brothers in 1970’s South Vietnam.One of my favorite sections was actually a series of humorous poems about various scientific principles. After each one, there was a paragraph that summarized the facts the poem was talking about.While a couple of stories made me uncomfortable, they are exactly the kind of things that boys would love. The details of the shipwrecked men’s survival and some of the details of the history of dentistry were not excessively crude, but still enough to make my skin tingled a little. But as I said, most guys will love it.I’m not usually a non-fiction reader, but I absolutely enjoyed this book. Filled with entertaining and fascinating stories, I can see it being a book anyone will race through.NOTE: I won an ARC of this book in a contest. No review was promised in exchange.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful.Love it. Great mix of skilled writers forming interesting true stories. Fun learning experience.
By Ryan J. Dejonghe
I love this book, but it needs a new title. Dudes drool, we know that—but both guys AND gals can, and will, enjoy these stories. How about instead of GUYS READ: TRUE STORIES, we call it WE ALL READ: TRUE & FUN STORIES.There is something for everyone here: regular form story; cartoons; and even poetry. I LOVE that everything here is a true story. This book is marketed to grades three through seven, but it feels so good to learn something as an adult, too. The mix of styles is a great way to keep the brain engaged.I do have one criticism: that history of dentistry was painful. Ouch! At least this is geared to kids and not too graphic, but still! Beeswax stuffed into a split tooth…I shiver at the thought. But that’s not a real downer: I actually learned something, it was entertaining, and the author did a great job of making it relatable and readable.This collection is a testament to Jon Scieszka. Not only are his shelves breaking under the weight of all his awards, but he’s a teacher, too. He knows kids. He knows learning. Scieszka brought in the best of the bunch, and every story shows off the respective author’s individually mastered skills.Parents: buy with confidence, knowing this is high-quality, educational, and—fun!If you are not a parent, you’ll love this, too.Thanks to Walden Pond Press for sharing this book with me to review.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.The variety of styles is fun and easy to read
By Amazon Customer
I give it five stars chiefly due to it being an anthology. The variety of styles is fun and easy to read, and I learned some stuff, too. Yep, I'm, well, not a kid, but I learned some stuff. For me, a good story that teaches me something is all I'm really looking for in a book. I bet your kid would like this, too, even if she's not a boy.
