A Semi-Comprehensive Guide to Some of the World's Most Fascinating Individuals Extraordinary People (Hardback) - Common

by Michael Hearst

Inside this book, you'll find stories of 50 extraordinary people such Evel Knievel, who jumped his motorcycle over 14 Greyhound busesThe Iceman, the most well-preserved human, found in the ice after 5,300 yearsSam Patch, who jumped Niagara Falls for $75Helen Thayer, who walked to the North Pole aloneRoy Sullivan, who was struck by lightning 7 timesThese intriguing facts and hundreds more await curious readers, amateur historians, and anyone who aspires to the altogether extraordinary!

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Biography Memoir, Childrens, Middle Grade, Humor

Unknown Binding

First published April 28, 2015

Reviews

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids are going to be tired of talking to me by the end of the month. It seems every book I bring home from the library lately is determined by their current interests and be it art, Star Wars, or this cool book that I couldn't walk away from, all are encyclopedic with a lot of room for discussion. This book is a random assortment of people that the author found extraordinary. With quizzes and unexpected stories, my kids fought over who was bringing it to bed each night...and this was after I read it to them cover to cover...more than once.

[Shara Vitone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a book for young readers since I checked it out in digital format. Despite this, it was a fun read full of interesting people. Many I had never heard of and some I only knew their names but was fascinated to learn more about their amazing stories. I've been trying to incoporate more biographies into my reading and this gave me some great ideas on who I would be interested in learning more about.

[Christiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was popular on my school visits. Brief, easy to read, short biographies of famous people. Really remarkable illustrations. I love that alongside well-known people there were also biographies of people I had never heard of like Edward Leedskalnin, Sergei Korolev, and Stagecoach Mary. Recommended!

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting information about a variety of accomplished individuals, from sports figures to scientists to writers. The text is accessible to upper elementary and middle school students, who will also enjoy the full-page illustration of each person and the trivia included under each biography. This is the kind of book that's fun to flip through and read a handful of pages at a time.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

fabulous book

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think some of the humor in here is not really kid humor and isn't really aimed at the intended audience, but overall these brief, page-long biographies of extraordinary people are fun and interesting. There's a good mix of people I'm guessing kids will have heard of and others (a lady pirate! the inventor of the chocolate chip cookie! the guy who [invented? or discovered?] the escape fire) that will be less familiar. I will definitely bring this on school visits--it's got some great little nuggets of information to share with the kids that I think will fascinate them.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inside this book, you'll find stories of 50 extraordinary people such as:

Evel Knievel, who jumped his motorcycle over 14 Greyhound buses

The Iceman, the most well-preserved human, found in the ice after 5,300 years

Sam Patch, who jumped Niagara Falls for $75

Helen Thayer, who walked to the North Pole alone

Roy Sullivan, who was struck by lightning 7 times

[Kermit · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 stars

So many interesting people from all walks of life and all periods of time. Fun to read. I liked all 3 books in this author's Uncommon Compendiums series.

[Ken Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

I just finished a long book about Martin Luther and needed an easy read. Witty, funny and actually interesting - took a couple of hours.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun non-fiction read. I learned about people who I probably should have known before now! Good for trivia night too.

[Artie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Targeted for kids but you'll learn new things about people you were familiar with and discover new people to learn more about.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

For what it is, this should be available to All kids to read and a sort of inspiration to be extraordinary.

[Siti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the humour.

[Theophilus (Theo) · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK. I started this book knowing it is a children's book. I was however, I was disappointed in some of the selections as "extraordinary" people who I might consider daring or good. My definition of "extraordinary" differs from that of the author in some respects and agree on many. I was hoping to see Jackie Robinson, a multi-sport athlete and activist, rather than Deion Sanders. I thought Dr. Mae Jemison should have made the cut. No Joan of Arc? Why not Aitazaz Hassan Bangash in stead of Evel Knevel? No way I would have left Mohandus Karamchand Ghandi off of my list. Opinions vary though. For the most part there are some very extraordinary people in the book. There are many more who were omitted.

[Julia Mcknight · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 11-year-old daughter read this book over and over again. We borrowed it from the library and renewed multiple times, even took it back and borrowed it again. She loves to read it on her own and it's also fun to read together. Makes for great bedtime reading with your school-age child. Each extraordinary person has a full colour two-page spread with a brief bio and bite-sized factoids. The illustrations are fantastic and will appeal to all ages. Very interesting and engaging stories that go back centuries as well as include contemporary figures.

[Katya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book, from design to Deion Sanders, is amazing, but I'm particularly touched by the inclusion of Ruth Wakefield, inventor of the Toll House cookie, who sold her recipe for a lifetime supply of chocolate...and Fred Rogers...and, and, and...this is the greatest and I would read sequels to this all day.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great example of a collective biography that is engaging and dynamic and to the point. This is going to be an awesome addition to the 7th grade Humanities "agents of change" project for which we won an LBSS Read for Information grant.

[Ally Goodwin]

The selection of people was diverse and interesting. I enjoyed learning more about some people I knew. Plus i met quite a few new people i liked.
The only negative i have about this book is that the author, Michael Hearst, used many patronizing comments in an effort to be humorus.

[Madalene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly, you'll already know these people and what makes them extraordinary. It'd be better if the author focused on those other than dead white guys that are pretty well known, and instead tell more about people from the larger world.

[Rebecca Saxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book that profiles fascinating people. It spans human existence and is very international. A great diverse selection of neat people.

[Debrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, almanacky format in an informal voice, with goofy poems and quizzes thrown in. Much heavier on men than on women.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A diverse, odd collection of noteworthy people throughout history.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting presentation, but the illustrations don't do justice to the information.
I enjoyed the little quizzes.