The Big Book of Boy Stuff
Page 28
Water Balloons
Water balloons are the weapon of choice for most boys. They combine the risk of a hand grenade with the joy of getting someone wet!
Whether you’re in a water balloon duel or a water balloon toss, here are some basic tips:
Filling the balloon: You don’t want to fill the balloon too much if you can help it. More water equals more pressure...which equals you being wet!
Throwing the balloon: If you are in a water balloon toss, then you want to make a nice, smooth, underhand throw with a high arc. Your hand should start way behind you and end up over your head after your release!
If you are in a water balloon war, all bets are off! You don’t have time to think about how you throw it, but if you do, remember not to make any sudden throwing movements, or it will just burst on you!
Catching the balloon: The key to making a successful catch is not to offer the balloon any resistance. Meet the balloon with both of your hands in front of you, and then let your hands travel with the balloon; don’t try to stop it, just slow it down. Go with it! This is how to win the balloon toss, and how to turn the tables on your opponent in the water balloon war! Nothing is more impressive than catching your opponent’s balloon, whipping it around, and throwing it back at him.
Escaping the balloon: Three words—duck and dodge! If your opponent is faster than you, run away as fast as you can. When you can hear your opponent’s footsteps getting near, drop to the ground! He may just miss you with the balloon, or he might trip over you and fall on his own balloon!
General strategy: In any war, you want the high ground. It is easier to defend yourself and harder for someone else to attack you. If you are higher than your water balloon opponent (say, on a hill or picnic bench), you can see where they are and you have gravity on your side when you throw down on them. And remember, if you want to be the ultimate water balloon gladiator, see “Water Balloon Jousting” in the “Outdoor Games!” chapter.
Water Balloon Duel
One of the best games to play with water balloons is Water Balloon Duel. You and your friend each get a filled balloon and stand back-to-back. Then you loudly count to three; with each number called, you both take a step. After you get to three, you both turn and duel! You can throw your balloon, or run away, or run toward your opponent and try to get him right in the face...but once your balloon is gone, go into evasive maneuvers!
Duel variation: Try the same duel with Silly String!
Bonus Water Balloon Information
Water balloon volleyball: Get a bunch of balloons ready to go (don’t fill them up too much) and string up a volleyball net. Play volleyball with them! Points are awarded if one side bursts the balloon, whether it hits someone or not!
Fun water balloon trick: You know how a magnifying glass can focus the sun’s rays into a hot point? Well, balloons can only stand this kind of heat for an instant before they blow. Think of creative ways you can use this laser device to create mischief.
*Back in the 1800s, the “War of Pork and Beans” was nearly fought between New Brunswick (Canada) and Maine (United States) over a territory dispute. There were no injuries, but there was plenty of gas.
Follow-Up Activity
Throughout history, there have been a number of catapults and ballistae that shot “arrows” that were bigger than spears! Make your own ballista and use it for target practice!
Famous Last Words!
This is the end of the book, so let’s come to a close with the last words of some interesting people!
“They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance. Urk!” Civil War General John Sedgwick (1813–1864) during the Civil War, on how enemy riflemen couldn’t hit him.
“Oh, what a nice dog! Can I pet it?” Leroy Skaggs (1980–2003).
“Go away, I’m all right.” H. G. Wells (1866–1946).
“Precious, precious, precious! My Precious! Oh, my Precious!” Gollum.
“I don’t care if you ARE a bunch of pirates, you’re still dressed funny!” Tyrone Fauntelroy (1685–1731).
“Never felt better.” Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (1883–1939).
“Either this wallpaper goes or I do.” Oscar Wilde (1854–1900).
“Die, my dear doctor? That’s the last thing I shall do.” Viscount Palmerston (1784–1865).
“Only one man ever understood me. And he really didn’t understand me.” Georg Hegel (1770–1831).
“I don’t feel good.” Luther Burbank (1849–1926).
“Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough!” Karl Marx (1818–1883).
Follow-Up Activity
Act like you are dying. Say something clever in a dramatic way. Then pretend to die. (NOTE: Be careful not to actually die, as this would make the activity less fun.)
Recommended Reading!
A good book can entertain you and enrich your life and imagination! (You might even learn something from it!) I didn’t used to like to read, but once I found the RIGHT book, I was hooked. Finding the right book for YOU may take a little bit of experimenting, but once you find an author you like, read everything you can by them!
The books below come with high recommendations from boys. If you ever have a book you would like to add to this list, go to this book’s web-site (www.bigbookofboystuff.com) and e-mail it to me. (Please include the book’s and author’s full names, what type of book it is, and any helpful comments you might have.)
Non-Fiction!
“I read a lot of books.”
—Jeremy Glick (a high school student) talking about how he got a perfect score on his college entrance tests.
Armstrong, Lance. It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2000.
Becklake, Sue. The Visual Dictionary of the Universe. Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries, DK Publishing, 1993.
Blaine, David. Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic. New York: Villard, 2002.
Brooke, Michael. The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding. Toronto, Ont.: Warwick Publishing, 1999.
Byam, Michele. Arms & Armor. New York: Knopf, 1988.
Cassidy, John, and B.C. Rimbeaux. Juggling for the Complete Klutz. Palo Alto, California: Klutz Press, 1988.
Cordingly, David, and John Falconer. Pirates: Fact & Fiction. New York: Artabras, 1992.
Courtenay-Thompson, Fiona, editor. The Visual Dictionary of Buildings. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 1993.
The DK Science Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 1998.
Eisenberg, Linda. Magic and Perception: The Art and Science of Fooling the Senses. New York: Franklin Watts, 1996.
Ellis, Chris. The Complete Book of Radio Controlled Models. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1999.
Elsaeed, Rasha, and Chris Oxlade, editors. 150 Great Science Experiments. New York: Lorenz Books, 2001.
Ficarra, John, and Nick Megline, editors. The Mad Gross Book. New York: MAD Books, 2001.
Giblin, James. When Plague Strikes: The Black Death, Smallpox, AIDS. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
Guinness Book of World Records, 2004. New York: Time, 2003.
Gurstelle, William. Backyard Ballistics. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2001.
Harding, David, editor. Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 BC to 2000 AD. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.
Hawk, Tony. Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
Jillette, Penn and Teller. How to Play with Your Food. New York: Villard Books, 1992.
———. How to Play in Traffic. New York: Boulevard Books, 1997.
King, Mac, and Mark Levy. Tricks with Your Head. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002.
Krull, Kathleen. Lives of the Musicians. New York: Harcourt, reprint, 2002.
Macauley, David, and Neil Ardley. The New Way Things Work. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.
Masoff, Joy. Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty. New York: Workman Publishing, 2000.
Miles, John C. (Senior Editor). The Ultimate Book of Cross Sections. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 1996.
Ogden, Tom. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Magic. New York: Alpha Books, 1999.
Pelzer, David J. A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, 1995.
———. The Lost Boy: A Foster Child’s Search for the Love of a Family. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, 1997.
Rey, H.A. The Stars: A New Way to See Them. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1980.
Robinson, Nick. Super Simple Paper Airplanes. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 2000.
Solheim, James. It’s Disgusting—and We Ate It! True Food Facts from Around the World—and Throughout History! New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1998.
Spignesi, Stephen J. The 100 Greatest Disasters of All Time. Sacramento, California: Citadel Press, 2002.
Taylor, Barbara. How to Save the Planet. New York: Franklin Watts, 2001.
Tunis, Edwin. Weapons: A Pictorial History. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1954/1999.
The Visual Dictionary of Flight. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 1992.
The Visual Dictionary of Special Military Forces. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 1993.
The Visual Dictionary of Ships and Sailing. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 1999.
Watkins, Richard. Gladiator. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
“The best remedy for being bored or sad is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may be frightened or old, you may may miss your only love, you may see the world about you being ruined by nitwits, or know that small-minded people are against you.
“There is only one thing for it then—to learn. There is a reason for everything. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never get tired of, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.”
—Merlyn (paraphrased) in T.H. White’s The Once and Future King
Fiction!
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Ballantine, 1997.
Adams, Richard. Watership Down. New York, 1989.
Alexander, Loyd. The Illyrian Adventure and The Book of Three. New York: Yearling Books, 1999. A lot of boys like his books, particularly The Illyrian Adventure, etc.
Anderson, Kevin J., and Rebecca Moestra. Heirs of the Force (Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights, Book One). New York: Boulevard Books, 1999.
Anthony, Piers. Try the first book of the “Incarnations of Immortality” series, On a Pale Horse (New York: Ballantine Books, 1989). This writer has a huge number of good science fiction books out, and some readers swear by him. (“By Piers Anthony, this is a good book!”)
Armstrong, William. Sounder. New York: Harper Trophy, 1972.
Avi. This writer has a lot of books out, and he’s got fans. Try Crispin: The Cross of Lead or “Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?” (New York: Orchard Books, 1992).
Bauer, Marion Dane. On My Honor. New York: Yearling Books, 1987.
Bellairs, John. The Eyes of the Killer Robot. New York: Puffin, 1998.
Boule, Pierre. An interesting writer. Try Bridge Over the River Kwai or Planet of the Apes (New York: Ballantine Books, 2001).
Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make the Man. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 1984.
Brown, Fredric. Somehow, this very funny and creative author has been forgotten, and if you can get your hands on Martians, Go Home! (New York: Baen Books, 1992) or The Best of Fredric Brown, (New York: Ballantine, 1977) you’ll wonder why.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice. Pretty much ANY book by him is good, including Tarzan of the Apes. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. New York: Tor Books, 1994.
Christopher, Matt. If you like sports stories, try any of his books, including Snowboard Maverick. Boston: Little, Brown, 1997.
Clarke, Arthur C. He’s written some great science fiction books including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous With Rama, and Childhood’s End (New York: Ballantine, 1987).
Clavell, James. Try King Rat, or if you can handle a big book, Shogun (New York: Dell, 1976).
Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. This is the first book in the “Artemis Fowl” series. It’s funny, high-tech, and magical. (Other titles include The Arctic Incident and The Eternity Code.) New York: Miramax, 2002.
Cooper, Susan. She is the author of the much-praised “The Dark Is Rising” series of books. The first book in the series (and maybe the weakest) is Over Sea, Under Stone (New York: Aladdin Library, 2000).
Cormier, Robert. This author is great, but can also be a little bit “adult” for some readers. Try any of his titles, especially Fade, I Am the Cheese, or The Chocolate War, We All Fall Down, and After the First Death.
Coville, Bruce. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. New York: Pocket, 1991.
Cresswell, Helen. Ordinary Jack. New York: Viking Press, 1987.
Crutcher, Chris. Try Chinese Handcuffs or Ironman: a Novel (New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1995).
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 and Bud, Not Buddy (New York: Delacorte Press, 1999) are pretty famous books.
Cussler, Clive. I don’t know if he’s a great writer, but many boys like him, plus the word “cuss” is in his name. Try Cyclops or Floodtide (New York: Pocket Books, 1998).
D’Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar P. Both of these books are great: D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths and D’Aulaires’ Norse Gods and Giants (New York: Delacorte Press, 1986).
Dahl, Roald. In addition to the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, try some of his other titles, like The BFG, The Witches, or Danny the Champion of the World (New York: Knopf, 1975).
Deuker, Carl. On the Devil’s Court. New York: Avon, 1991.
Doyle, Roddy. The Giggler Treatment. New York: Scholastic, 2001.
Dumas, Alexandre. This French writer wrote GREAT stories, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The Three Musketeers (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.)
Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy. New York: HarperTrophy, 2003.
Funke, Cornelia. The Thief Lord. New York: Chicken House, 2003.
———. Inkheart. New York: Chicken House, 2003.
Gaiman, Neil. A gifted writer, and the author of the Sandman comic book series. A good novel of his is Neverwhere (New York: Avon Books, 1998.)
Gantos, Jack. This author writes about Joey Pigza, a hyperactive kid with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). The first book is Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (New York: HarperTrophy, 1998.)
George, Jean Craighead. My Side of the Mountain. New York: Penguin Books, 1967.
Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. New York: HarperCollins, 1956.
Gould, Steven. Wildside. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1996.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. New York: Aladdin Library, 2000.
Herbert, Frank. If you think you can handle it, Dune (New York: Ace Books, 2003) can be a great book to read and re-read. Be sure to look in the back of the book before you begin to get crucial information that helps the story make sense!
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Dell Publishing Co., 1967.
Hobbs, Will. Jason’s Gold and Downriver (New York: Macmillan International Publishing Group, 1991.)
Howard, Robert E. The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: Book One (New York: Del Rey, 2003). Robert E. Howard died at an early age, and many Conan books have been written by other authors, but you can’t top the original. Excellent adventure.
Jacques, Brian. Any and all of the “Redwall” books, including the one called Redwall (New York: Avon, 1986).
Jordan, Robert. If you like huge fantasy books, start his “The Wheel of Time” serie
s with The Eye of the World (New York: Tor Books, 1993).
King, Stephen. He has written an incredible amount of books, and the odds are you will like some of them. WARNING: He’s too good at being scary for younger readers. Try Salem’s Lot or Pet Sematary.
Klass, David. Try Danger Zone, Wrestling with Honor, California Blue or You Don’t Know Me (New York: HarperTempest, 2002).
Konigsburg, E.L. Silent to the Bone. New York: Aladdin Library, 2000.
Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs. New York: Hyperion Press, 2002.
Lawrence, Louise. Children of the Dust. New York: HarperCollins Juvenile Books, 1985.
Lewis, C.S. If you haven’t read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe yet, hop to it. Then read the rest of the Narnia series too. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
Lipsyte, Robert. One of his best titles is The Contender, and you should also try One Fat Summer. (New York: HarperCollins Juvenile Books, 1991).
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Laurel Leaf, 2002.
Mazer, Harry. Give Snowbound, The Last Mission, or A Boy at War (New York: Aladdin Library, 2002) a shot.
Morey, Walt. Gentle Ben. New York: Dutton, 1965.
Myers, Walter Dean. Scorpions. New York: Harper & Row, 1988.
Paulsen, Gary. His classic is Hatchet, but he’s written others as well! (New York: Bradbury Press, 1987).
Philbrick, Rodman. Freak the Mighty. New York: Scholastic, 2001.
Pinkwater, Daniel. I think this guy is very funny. His books include Alan Mendelsohn, The Boy From Mars (New York: Bantam, 1983) and Lizard Music (New York: Laure Leaf, 1996).
Pratchett, Terry. This guy has written many imaginative and funny fantasy/science fiction books. His best known works may be the books in the “Discworld” series, which begins with Colour of Magic (London: Colin Smythe, Ltd., 1990).