Lovely idea, remarkably well executed.

Another great book review from "Cool Books"

Put a 9 volt battery in a pocket containing keys and change.

I've been amazed at how many adults I've met who refuse to touch a 9-volt (or a phone line, or an RS-232 circuit) to their tongues. They can watch you do it, but still cannot overcome their basic cowardice. Some will literally shriek and shake with fear if you act like you're going to make them do it. They were conditioned by their parents and teachers to live as cowed, incapable beings.

Don't do that to your kids.

@Charlie - A telephone line CAN carry enough current to kill you, especially if the house is an older one. Careful with that.

A telephone line carrys 50v and even more.be careful

Wow. That amazes me that there are people afraid of a 9-volt. I'll admit my eyes squint a bit when I think about doing it, but I've done it dozens of times and the next time I need to know if a 9-volt is good, I'll do it again.

Okay seriously....don't be an idiot. A phone line can and will kill you.

GJ Charlie.

I know a physics professor that makes his students do the 9V battery problem proving that it wont harm you. He will also give you extra credit if you put one on your tongue, even after proving its safe, only maybe 5-10% of his students will actually try it.

Also, "The Dangerous Book for Boys", and the "Daring Book for Girls".

the 9volt in the pocket IS dangerous if you have enough lint to act as tinder.

my son's molten bookbag is an example. it was a science project that took on a life of its own.

the phone line thing...it's 48vdc idle. if you're wet and well grounded it can hurt but not kill. the danger is in being startled by the shock. when it's ringing it's double that. then it REALLY hurts but still doesn't kill. some special circuits are hot enough to actually burn you but death isn't imminent.

Love it!!! Free Range Kids in action... and I concur that it's almost ridiculous that this book guiding people to be adventurous and fearless is necessary...pound of dirt before we die folks, pound of dirt...

I once put two 9V batteries together when I was a kid; I thought it made a cool pocket warmer for the winter. I didn't know it was extremely dangerous but unfortunately my dad did and I got the beating of a lifetime not to mention feeling completely inferior for not knowing it was dangerous.

My dad still apologizes to this day for punishing me for my ignorance.

Im going to disagree with everyone, this book seems like a bad idea to me. It's one thing to not want to shelter your child, but encouraging them to try anything, percieved as dangerous or not, is a bad idea. Especially if the parent doesn't know the real science behind what's going on, like phone line guy. Maybe Im wrong but this book doesnt seem like it gets very scientific. I guess I'm thinking if I was a kid and my dad showed me it's fun to lick a 9 volt battery, what's stopping me from thinking its ok to lick a car battery?

I mean cmon people, you want to tell your kid to lick a battery?!!

Rob, don't have kids. They are going to get hurt doing stupid things and you will just blame yourself. You sound kind of fragile and I don't know if you could handle it.

Kids push things as far as they can. It makes a lot of sense to help them explore their boundaries in a controlled environment.

Kevin, let me guess... you're a gun owner and you make damn sure your kids are too.

All, if you want to address other individuals, keep it civil and polite.

Sorry Mr. Kelly, I didn't mean to act out. I have a bad habit of reacting to sensationalism with sensationalism.

Bill, I am not a gun owner. I am a BB gun owner, but that's a whole other Cool Tool entry.

Kevin Kelly, I love you, man.

Yeah, what he said.

I fondly remember my dad telling me to stick out my tongue, in which he'd place the 9-volt on there ( only worked a couple of times, lol). I hated it! But, did I ever think I to lick a car battery? uh, no.

we have two sons... one is reckless and brave and has had a life full of adventure...one is considered and cautious and has had a life full of adventure.

both resisted the structured existence so many children seem to experience.

what i've seen of this book gives kids a chance to play in the shallow end of the abyss without drowning in it.

isn't that better than the dull, unthinking young adults you're probably surrounded by today?

The 9-volt in the pocket can be dangerous indeed, I had a 9-volt in my pocket along with a set of keys. At some point, I began to feel this warming sensation that quickly became very hot. What had happened was...the keys had ended up sitting flush on the terminals of the battery....it left a small burn on my leg.

hmmm...

If you're worried that this book might lead your kids to do other, stupider things... maybe you should sit down and explain it to them! It wouldn't be that hard to explain that a 9v battery tingles but other things with more voltage can cause serious damage. I mean, come on. It's a parent's job to talk to their kids...

Obviously this book was intended to be a joke. :)

I think it's a great idea! I'm a mother of one girl, step mother of 2 other girls and a boy and have two grandchildren. If I've learned anything at all it's that kids will do dangerous things! I think it helps them define who they are going to become. A bad expereince early on and they are overly cautious. They seek knowelge and are extreamly curious. Controlling how and when is the epitomy of the parents job! You cannot and should not sheild your child from everything dangous in the world. You can however, teach them the basics of safety and responsibility and monitor them (gee, wasn't that on the first page of my parenting manual?).
I think it's a great idea... just not for those parents that don't bother with spending time working together with thier kids on stuff.

Phone lines carry enough energy for your laptop computer and much more...And its completely free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , Browse some ytube videos and learn how you can do it

I think this book is a great idea. Kids will do stupid things anyway - why not let them, and make sure it happens in a controlled environment? Use it as a learning experience. Explain the properties of electricity and how dangerous it is. Let them get this stuff out of their system. The chances are good that some will be trying this stuff anyway, and the ones that aren't are the kind of kids I never hung around with when I was younger. Kids need to be trying things and exploring the world - not sitting on the couch watching TV and playing on their computers.

'what's stopping me from thinking its ok to lick a car battery?' ... erm, your child would have to part lizard.....or giraffe for it to be dangerous. Unless of course you are talking about the leaked acid and the fact that he got under the bonnet of your car. I think you are a bad parent already for allowing your kid to stand up on your bumper with his head under the bonnet. Please be more careful with your kids and teach them how to be 'hysterical ' instead. Far safer ;)

30 comments, and not a single person has acknowledged that it's not volts that kill you, it's amps? Also that where and how they go through you is a big factor?

Anyone who can lay their tongue across both poles of a car battery has a very lucrative career in the porn industry ahead of them. Even Gene Simmons from KISS can't do that.

As for the general subject of safety, I think that some of the concerned parents here should keep in mind that the important thing to teach your kids is that some things are safe, and some aren't--that, in fact, there are different levels of safety and risk. Wanting to keep them away from anything that might be even mildly dangerous leads down the road to making them put on a suit of armor before they leave the house, lest they turn out to be the one kid in a skadillion that goes into anaphylactic shock if they get stung by a bee.