The Pocket Guide to Mischief

by Bart King

The greatest leaders and geniuses in history were mischief makers. They
were the brave women who looked at how unfair the world was and said,
"I can do better than that." They were the stalwart men who saw
stupidity and asked, "Why do we have to do it that way?" And they were
the delightful children who ganged up on the neighborhood bully and hit
him with wet noodles until he said, "Uncle!"


Yes, history's mischief makers had the courage to point out that things
like slavery, global warming, and turtleneck sweaters are bad. And they
also pulled off some of the greatest hoaxes and practical jokes of all
time. Their achievements include the Boston Tea Party, the "War of the
Worlds" radio broadcast of 1938, and the Cheese Whiz Disaster of 2008.
In honor of them, we introduce The Pocket Guide to Mischief ,
the
perfect
addition
to
any prankster's collection, as well as a
fun-filled how-to for the budding troublemaker in all of us.

Genres: Humor, How To, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2008

About the author

I write funny and educational books for kids and immature adults. In 2026, two of my projects will hit shelves: FATHER HUMOR (a new edition of THAT'S HOW EYE ROLL), and a new Choose Your Own Adventure title that is still untitled.

Jeff Kinney described my CYOA tales in TIME TRAVEL INN as being full of "mind-blowing adventure and heart-stopping thrills!", so I have that going for me.

Back in 2016, Disney-Hyperion published my funny science-fiction novel, THE DRAKE EQUATION. Reviews:
— “This novel has a lot going for it. There’s an immensely likable protagonist and his marvelous twin friends, a school life that feels true —particularly the petty weirdness of other kids— and a mystery that really engages the reader. King tosses a lot of balls in the air, keeping the twists fast and furious, but thankfully, while the protagonist is suitably overwhelmed, the reader isn’t.” San Francisco Review of Books
— "Librarians will find that young readers empathize with the young birdwatcher and his friends.... children will enjoy the school and friendship aspects of the story." Teacher Librarian Magazine
— "Noah is a strong enough character to snag interest and keep it... there's clever humor and a great central protagonist to carry readers along to the end." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
— "A clever sci-fi narrative with an enjoyable main character." Kirkus

I also wrote a Choose Your Own Adventure titled SPIES: MOE BERG, an espionage book titled THE POCKET GUIDE TO SPY STUFF, and THE BIG BOOK OF SUPERHEROES, a humorous guide to becoming a superhero, and then dealing with it.

What else? Oregon State University Press published AN ARCHITECTURAL GUIDEBOOK TO PORTLAND. (It's medium-sized!) Finally, I taught middle school for many years. This was a wonderful experience, and I hope to recover from it soon. (I kid; it was the best job I've ever had.)

Reviews

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book to read! I absolutely LOVED it!!! I can't believe they came up with so much to put in there! Was hilarious! I didn't read it from cover to cover, but just skipped around from here to there. Would be a fun gift to give to anybody.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun way to live out mischief making desires without getting in trouble.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very informative, with lots of trivia...

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it when I was a silly little kid looking to make some mischief. It was perfect for me then, even if I only read it once and forgot about it. There’s lots of random stuff in it, including profiles of famous mischief makers. Some of them were women, which is good because little girls are just as mischievous as little boys. This book also had the difference between a practical joke and a full-on prank. It suffers from both being a pocket book and being too long. This was a pretty good book, although it’s obvious this book was written by Bart King, an adult, and not Bart Simpson.

[Katie Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious! It teaches you how to skulk, choose a nemesis, and get even!

[Richard Crater · Rating 2 out of 5]

Geared more towards teens, I still gleaned a couple of tricks to try in my golden years!

[Seth Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fairly well written. I enjoyed learning new ways to cause mischief and havoc. When I started this book I was mislead to believe that it would be more fiction then non fiction although is till enjoyed it. It was not my favorite book but I got through the whole thing which means it was okay and it may be worth other people reading.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to hear more stories about getting into mischief but there was only a few of those stories.

Okay, probably would be something a 11 year old would like to read more, since it had lists of funny bad names and stuff like that.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The silliest informational book ever. It shows you everything from pranks to insults. Along with all of the rest, it includes the silliest of short stories, including "The Best Sports Underwear Story of All Time".

[Django · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great mischievously inspiring book. As soon as summer comes, then water bombs away!

[Mika Nickel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this book is exactly what the cover says it is and it totally rocked greatest April Fools day helper EVER!

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every American should read, study and use this book.

[Abby Frye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before even opening this book I was laughing. What a fun book. Some of the ideas are not very original but still good for a laugh or to cause mischief.