This guide, illustrated in shades of cream, grey, and blue, is just right for that kid of yours who needs a little help figuring out what to do in various situations. These are all skills that a kid should have before moving out of the house. From "how to cheer up sick people," to "how to wrap a present" to "how to hand wash dishes," this book walks the reader through a variety of scenarios and gives them the info on what to do.

I do think typical kids will know how to do many of these. But there are some kids who really need explicit instruction on these basics. Some kids are just not wired to know how to think about other people in social situations; other might need help in the practical matters of taking care of their home environment. Maybe these kids also could benefit from various therapies, but absent or in conjunction with that, this book can help bridge the gap.

Recommended for older kids.

Two sections I think could add extra value: How to evaluate information online for accuracy (and really, any other topic pertaining to online life); how to get the resources you need if you need to learn something new.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for a free digital review copy in exchange for my review.

**Will hold review for publication on review sites until May 2020**

This book was the perfect combination of helpful and fun. While some of the "skills" may seem to us to be common sense, there are plenty of children out there who may not have perfectly functional role models. This would be a great book for a public or school library.

This is an excellent resource for middle graders and early young adults. It covers a wide variety of practical social and life skills in a brief and entertaining way. The illustrations add to the fun. Some adults may think some of the things covered are obvious, but keep in mind they're only that way to you because at some point you learned it! I especially appreciated the sections on things like writing letters (or formal emails) and how to address envelopes. Those things used to be taught in schools but are becoming less common. Highly recommended!

This book needs to become the standard book that you buy for any kid from the age of 10 onward. I am seriously tempted to buy a copy for each of my kids who will be 12 and 16 by the time publishing date rolls around. I love that this book covers every topic that parents try to cover with their kids, but in a way that is not the mundane routine of a parenting conversation. Everything is covered in here, money, cleaning, cooking, interacting with other people, proper email etiquette. I am amazed an in awe of this book and will be buying it anytime I need a gift for a tween or teen.

10/5 stars!! I want to buy a copy of this for myself and every kid I know! this Is such an amazing book! it covers so many important life skills in simple terms kids old enough to read it on their own can understand it on their own too. This IS a must own book for sure!

A book for every tween who needs to learn responsibility. A perfect guide to life skills to prepare them to be independent,

I received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  			
			
From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.			

For the kid who leaves a wet towel wadded up on the floor or forgets to put a new roll on the toilet-paper thingy, humorous writer and etiquette columnist Catherine Newman has written the ultimate guidebook to becoming a person whom everyone will like being around more. Jam-packed with tips, tricks, and skills — all illustrated in an irresistible graphic-novel style — this book shows kids just how easy it is to free themselves from parental nagging and become a more dependable person — and they’ll like themselves better, too! 

They’ll learn how to deal with dirty rooms, care for pets and cactuses, stick up for somebody, and fold a T-shirt. They’ll even get a crash course on using the kitchen (including how to turn a 33-cent package of ramen into dinner) and a boot camp for lending a hand outside the house (mowing, shovelling, and fixing something loose has never been easier). This handbook to becoming beyond helpful promises that every kid can be a valued and valuable member of the grown-up world.

I have often said that the subject of this book needs to be a course taught at highschool - Life Skills 101. There are still kids who hit university who cannot make their beds or pay others to do their laundry as they don't know how to nor do they care to learn how to do so.  Or fill out a form - I can not begin to count the number of kids who were in Financial Aid (when I was helping there at the beginning of the school year) whose parents filled out their loan agreement forms! (did they go to class and take their notes, too???) I cannot tell you how many grown-butt adults I run into today who cannot fill out a form, either ... sigh.

This book should be given to EVERY SINGLE CHILD ON THE PLANET !!!!! Those helicopter parents who insist on doing everything for their kids are NOT doing them a favour - buy your kids this book and make them self-sufficient citizens who can run their own lives. 
			
As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "Social Influencer Millennials" on Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜 	(33cent ramen? I never pay over 25cents!)

I have mixed feelings on this book. I loved the playful illustrations and the random "fun" facts (did you know, you can mail a potato if you have the right postage on it?!).

And "How to write a thank you note" is one section I think everyone -whatever their age - should read up on.

But some of the topics (like how to be a welcome guest or gracious host) seem to me like things parents would be naturally teaching by example (hopefully!). Ditto to how to answer a phone politely or write out an envelope. With the kiddo in my life, I never "taught" these things or bought them a book about it - they just learned it as if my osmosis. But with topics like making a bed, cooking spaghetti, or vacuuming, perhaps those are the kinds of tasks that parents assign without explaining them thoroughly. This book does that - with graphics. The "How to make money" section was the one that caught my 10 year's old eye, though!

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

This is one of those books I think every child and adult should read! I think we all need help becoming real people. Sometimes our parents can't teach us everything and these simple tasks are ignored. I especially liked that this book focused a lot on being polite and helping others.