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The Guy Book: An Owner's Manual
Mavis Jukes is the queen of girl talk, but this time she’s set her sights on the guys. Told in the author’s usual straightforward, funny, favorite-aunt style, The Guy Book delivers sound information and useful advice for boys preparing to go through, or in the midst of, puberty. Boys will find specific information on a variety of subjects, from getting rid of acne to buying birth control to finding help for depression. Answering questions that are too embarrassing to ask, dealing with guy-basics like tying a tie, being a good friend, and essential dating dos and don’ts, this is a must-have for boys who want to get the facts, be in control, and learn how to make informed choices.
- GenresNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Mavis Jukes
33 books7 followersMavis Jukes (born May 3, 1947 in Nyack, New York), is an American author of novels for children. She has also published nonfiction books for children and pre-teens about puberty. Her books are usually health-based.
Before becoming an author, Jukes was a lawyer and a teacher. Her first book, No One is Going to Nashville, was published in 1983. She lives with her husband, the sculptor and painter Robert H. Hudson, and their daughters in Sonoma County, California. She is the daughter of Thomas Hughes Jukes, a famous molecular biologist and nutritionist, who pioneered the use of methotrexate as a new cancer therapy and was one of the first to formulate the neutral theory of molecular evolution.
She received the Newbery Honor distinction in 1985 for her book Like Jake and Me.
Before becoming an author, Jukes was a lawyer and a teacher. Her first book, No One is Going to Nashville, was published in 1983. She lives with her husband, the sculptor and painter Robert H. Hudson, and their daughters in Sonoma County, California. She is the daughter of Thomas Hughes Jukes, a famous molecular biologist and nutritionist, who pioneered the use of methotrexate as a new cancer therapy and was one of the first to formulate the neutral theory of molecular evolution.
She received the Newbery Honor distinction in 1985 for her book Like Jake and Me.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 21, 2017
This book provided a great overview of health for teen and pre-teen boys; I might even go as far as calling it Health 101. It covered puberty (in-depth about boys and the overview for girls), good nutrition, meeting a date's parents, and everything in between. I got this book from the library, and the only downside is that it was written in 2002, so while it does mention computer safety (including pornography and chat rooms), it doesn't touch on cell phone and social media safety. It's a good overview of basic science and basic social expectations.
February 25, 2019
1 February 2007 THE GUY BOOK: AN OWNER'S MANUAL by Mavis Jukes, Crown Publishers, 2002.
I did, in fact, know from a young age that "scrotum" was the name of that particular part of my body. But I had absolutely no understanding of the startling, unnerving things that began happening to my body while I was in middle school. Despite spending hours and hours of quality time with my father, regularly working alongside him on his construction sites from a very young age, I was never given "The Talk."
Nor did I have a big brother or sister to guide me through an understanding of the physical changes, the intense feelings, or the perplexing social stuff at school. It was all totally baffling. The result was that throughout middle school I was a great student and a nervous wreck; a quiet kid filled with discomfort and uncertainty. It was bad enough to be picked on and called names without already thinking that the weird things I'd been experiencing were certain proof that there must be something wrong with me.
Unfortunately for me and my contemporaries, Mavis Jukes was still a high school student when I was struggling hormonally, emotionally, and socially in seventh and eighth grades. Fortunately for today's middle school students, Mavis grew up and eventually became an author. Thanks to her having written IT'S A GIRL THING: HOW TO STAY HEALTHY, SAFE, AND IN CHARGE, followed a few years later by THE GUY BOOK: AN OWNER'S MANUAL, today's Twenty-First Century middle school students can avoid being caught in the sort of position in which I found myself.
Today there are serious, potentially life-threatening consequences to traversing middle school while hamstrung by the ignorance with which I traversed it four decades ago. Mavis Jukes not only explains the workings of the body and the changes that adolescents are undergoing physically, but also talks about dangerous behaviors and myths that can kill and provides information about the availability of counseling for those having a bad time of things.
But in addition to the obvious need to understand such weighty topics as sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, and the absolute need to understand that "'No' Never Means 'Yes,'" it is also essential that middle school students going through these developmental changes avoid having their self-esteem undermined by a lack of information, a problem that is so easily remedied by this book.
As noted on the KidsKeepHealthy website:
"Adolescents with high self-esteem are more likely to believe in themselves and have a sense of importance and self-respect. Self-esteem affects how your children will approach new tasks or challenges and how they interact with others. Teenage children with low self-esteem may avoid challenging activities or may give up quickly, quit, or cheat when things aren't going their way. A child with low self esteem may also be a bully, bossy, controlling, have a low level of self control, and have difficulty making friends."
THE GUY BOOK: AN OWNER'S MANUAL is not only an important source of information, it is an entertaining read. Beginning with the cover image and continuing throughout the book, the author employs an automotive metaphoric treatment with vintage car photos and title headings such as "Under the Hood," "Ignition System," "Rules of the Road: Driver Etiquette," and "Customizing: Developing Your Own Style." In the book's sixteen chapters there is a wealth of information on such practical topics as shaving, pimples, the rights and wrongs of ogling girls, the inside scoop on what their female peers are feeling, on crushes, on who pays when out on a date, on meeting a girl's parents, and on how to slow dance for the first time. Some of the information is downright hilarious -- at least in retrospect -- such as the author's explanation of which strategies employed in hopes of getting noticed by girls might result in your being seen by them in a positive light, and which strategies are bound to have quite the opposite effect. Some of the information is just so amazingly important, such as her discussion of feelings:
"Both boys and girls (and men and women) feel all ways: strong and weak, powerful and vulnerable, confident and insecure, courageous and afraid.
"These are human feelings. They're not attached to a particular gender."
In light of the recent debate concerning some librarians who are excluding the Newbery Medal-winning THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY from their school library collections because of the mere inclusion of an anatomical term -- dog's scrotum -- it can be expected that there is a similar group of librarians opposed to the inclusion of THE GUY BOOK in middle school collections. This, of course, puts those librarians' middle school patrons at risk. Considering that every year, in every corner of America, there are middle school students who become sexually active prior to high school, thus facing the possibility of their causing a pregnancy or contracting AIDS during their initial sexual explorations, librarian-imposed ignorance is surely a matter of malpractice that borders on the criminal.
It is hard to imagine a girl today experiencing her first period and having nobody willing to provide her information on why this new thing is happening to her body or, perhaps, suggesting that she wait until high school before obtaining accurate information from her school's library media center. For a boy to experience his first nocturnal emission without having either prior or subsequent information as to what is going on can be no less traumatic then was Brat's ignorance upon experiencing her first menstrual cycle in THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE.
The original intent of having public education in America was to turn kids into good citizens. This is a book with information that unquestionably contributes to that goal. If Mavis Jukes' books for girls and guys are not in your middle school collections, they need to be. And to try and bury such important resources in the shelves, rather than booktalking them and displaying them is a serious mistake.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
I did, in fact, know from a young age that "scrotum" was the name of that particular part of my body. But I had absolutely no understanding of the startling, unnerving things that began happening to my body while I was in middle school. Despite spending hours and hours of quality time with my father, regularly working alongside him on his construction sites from a very young age, I was never given "The Talk."
Nor did I have a big brother or sister to guide me through an understanding of the physical changes, the intense feelings, or the perplexing social stuff at school. It was all totally baffling. The result was that throughout middle school I was a great student and a nervous wreck; a quiet kid filled with discomfort and uncertainty. It was bad enough to be picked on and called names without already thinking that the weird things I'd been experiencing were certain proof that there must be something wrong with me.
Unfortunately for me and my contemporaries, Mavis Jukes was still a high school student when I was struggling hormonally, emotionally, and socially in seventh and eighth grades. Fortunately for today's middle school students, Mavis grew up and eventually became an author. Thanks to her having written IT'S A GIRL THING: HOW TO STAY HEALTHY, SAFE, AND IN CHARGE, followed a few years later by THE GUY BOOK: AN OWNER'S MANUAL, today's Twenty-First Century middle school students can avoid being caught in the sort of position in which I found myself.
Today there are serious, potentially life-threatening consequences to traversing middle school while hamstrung by the ignorance with which I traversed it four decades ago. Mavis Jukes not only explains the workings of the body and the changes that adolescents are undergoing physically, but also talks about dangerous behaviors and myths that can kill and provides information about the availability of counseling for those having a bad time of things.
But in addition to the obvious need to understand such weighty topics as sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, and the absolute need to understand that "'No' Never Means 'Yes,'" it is also essential that middle school students going through these developmental changes avoid having their self-esteem undermined by a lack of information, a problem that is so easily remedied by this book.
As noted on the KidsKeepHealthy website:
"Adolescents with high self-esteem are more likely to believe in themselves and have a sense of importance and self-respect. Self-esteem affects how your children will approach new tasks or challenges and how they interact with others. Teenage children with low self-esteem may avoid challenging activities or may give up quickly, quit, or cheat when things aren't going their way. A child with low self esteem may also be a bully, bossy, controlling, have a low level of self control, and have difficulty making friends."
THE GUY BOOK: AN OWNER'S MANUAL is not only an important source of information, it is an entertaining read. Beginning with the cover image and continuing throughout the book, the author employs an automotive metaphoric treatment with vintage car photos and title headings such as "Under the Hood," "Ignition System," "Rules of the Road: Driver Etiquette," and "Customizing: Developing Your Own Style." In the book's sixteen chapters there is a wealth of information on such practical topics as shaving, pimples, the rights and wrongs of ogling girls, the inside scoop on what their female peers are feeling, on crushes, on who pays when out on a date, on meeting a girl's parents, and on how to slow dance for the first time. Some of the information is downright hilarious -- at least in retrospect -- such as the author's explanation of which strategies employed in hopes of getting noticed by girls might result in your being seen by them in a positive light, and which strategies are bound to have quite the opposite effect. Some of the information is just so amazingly important, such as her discussion of feelings:
"Both boys and girls (and men and women) feel all ways: strong and weak, powerful and vulnerable, confident and insecure, courageous and afraid.
"These are human feelings. They're not attached to a particular gender."
In light of the recent debate concerning some librarians who are excluding the Newbery Medal-winning THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY from their school library collections because of the mere inclusion of an anatomical term -- dog's scrotum -- it can be expected that there is a similar group of librarians opposed to the inclusion of THE GUY BOOK in middle school collections. This, of course, puts those librarians' middle school patrons at risk. Considering that every year, in every corner of America, there are middle school students who become sexually active prior to high school, thus facing the possibility of their causing a pregnancy or contracting AIDS during their initial sexual explorations, librarian-imposed ignorance is surely a matter of malpractice that borders on the criminal.
It is hard to imagine a girl today experiencing her first period and having nobody willing to provide her information on why this new thing is happening to her body or, perhaps, suggesting that she wait until high school before obtaining accurate information from her school's library media center. For a boy to experience his first nocturnal emission without having either prior or subsequent information as to what is going on can be no less traumatic then was Brat's ignorance upon experiencing her first menstrual cycle in THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE.
The original intent of having public education in America was to turn kids into good citizens. This is a book with information that unquestionably contributes to that goal. If Mavis Jukes' books for girls and guys are not in your middle school collections, they need to be. And to try and bury such important resources in the shelves, rather than booktalking them and displaying them is a serious mistake.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
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August 23, 2010GENRE: Nonfiction: Advice, self-help, sex education.
SUBJECT/THEMES: Sex education, dating, drinking, advice for teens.
SUMMARY: Using an automotive theme and pictures from the ‘50s, Mavis Jukes presents a ton of information to teenage boys on the sex parts (boys and girls), boy-girl relationships, birth control, drugs, safety and more. Each chapter reads like the owner’s manual for a car or an instruction manual for driving, such as “Under the Hood: Parts”, and “Hazardous Conditions: STDs.” Stories are included to add a personal touch. Boys are told what to expect, and given Heads Up! tips throughout the book.
EVALUATION: To be honest, I did not realize this was a book mostly on sex and drug education when I picked it out. I liked the retro feel and style of the format, and I thought the clever automotive-themed titles were going to refer to teaching boys basic car care. Once I started reading, that misconception quickly vanished. I stuck with the book anyway, for I did not yet have such a book in the database. This one is well-written, and the tone is appropriate and respectful. It overflows with advice, tips and facts, and could be read in any order, though it would be best to read it from the front to the back.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: Informational books like this are important, in case teens are not getting the knowledge they need from their parents. This book even teaches readers how to tie a tie!
Human sexuality is a vital topic for teenagers, and many may not feel comfortable asking for these materials. A public library could shelve them face-out to draw a bit of attention and make them easier to find, while still making the browsing area discrete for embarrassed teens.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• American Medical Association Boy’s Guide to Becoming a Teen, by the AMA.
• The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality, by Michael J. Basso.
• The Teenage Guy’s Survival Guide: The Real Deal on Girls, Growing Up and Other Guy Stuff, by Jeremy Daldry.
• What Smart Teenagers Know…About Dating, Relationships & Sex, by Deborah Hatchell.
• 100 Questions You’d Never Ask Your Parents, by Elisabeth Henderson.
SUBJECT/THEMES: Sex education, dating, drinking, advice for teens.
SUMMARY: Using an automotive theme and pictures from the ‘50s, Mavis Jukes presents a ton of information to teenage boys on the sex parts (boys and girls), boy-girl relationships, birth control, drugs, safety and more. Each chapter reads like the owner’s manual for a car or an instruction manual for driving, such as “Under the Hood: Parts”, and “Hazardous Conditions: STDs.” Stories are included to add a personal touch. Boys are told what to expect, and given Heads Up! tips throughout the book.
EVALUATION: To be honest, I did not realize this was a book mostly on sex and drug education when I picked it out. I liked the retro feel and style of the format, and I thought the clever automotive-themed titles were going to refer to teaching boys basic car care. Once I started reading, that misconception quickly vanished. I stuck with the book anyway, for I did not yet have such a book in the database. This one is well-written, and the tone is appropriate and respectful. It overflows with advice, tips and facts, and could be read in any order, though it would be best to read it from the front to the back.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: Informational books like this are important, in case teens are not getting the knowledge they need from their parents. This book even teaches readers how to tie a tie!
Human sexuality is a vital topic for teenagers, and many may not feel comfortable asking for these materials. A public library could shelve them face-out to draw a bit of attention and make them easier to find, while still making the browsing area discrete for embarrassed teens.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• American Medical Association Boy’s Guide to Becoming a Teen, by the AMA.
• The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality, by Michael J. Basso.
• The Teenage Guy’s Survival Guide: The Real Deal on Girls, Growing Up and Other Guy Stuff, by Jeremy Daldry.
• What Smart Teenagers Know…About Dating, Relationships & Sex, by Deborah Hatchell.
• 100 Questions You’d Never Ask Your Parents, by Elisabeth Henderson.
April 16, 2009
This book was OK in terms of the advice that it offered guys experiencing or curious about puberty. However, the automotive metaphor was stretched past the point of being amusing at times. Also, as far as I could tell, every person pictured in this book is white. I realize they were going for a "retro" feel for the book, but you can't tell me there were absolutely zero pictures available of people of other ethnicities from the fifties! They could have faked them if they had to. I'm just saying this because this is a topic that is very personal and I think most people would like to see pictures of people that look like them in order to connect more personally to the advice.
November 14, 2007
A little late for this banned book special. The book, which is one of many used to help you talk birds and bees to your kids, really isn't that extraordinary to merit being banned. It is probably more tolerant of "alternative" lifestyles and things like piercings, but nothing that I found particularly outrageous. The book uses car metaphors for a lot of its chapter names and section headings, but unless you're really into cars, they end up being sort of lame and silly most of the time. An okay book, but probably not the one I would choose when having "the talk."
January 15, 2009
This is a nice book for boys to learn how their world will be changing as puberty enters their lives. The one drawback is that it doesn't have illustrations, but I guess to some parents that might be a plus. It does deal with everyday information such as how to clean yourself and dating dos-and-donts. A nice addition to any collection.
February 21, 2011
Felt like this was not as up to date as it should have been. I was very let down and the fact that all of the images were from the 50's. I did not feel that this book would appeal to boys nowadays. It was supposed to be informative but I was very disappointed.
August 21, 2014
Review by K.W.: "I like that this book answers any questions that teen boys have. Boys who are too embarrassed to ask questions about themselves would like this book."
March 4, 2016
Middle School challenged; School board voted to retain after complaintant challenged superintendent's decision to retain (2006)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews