So, you’re a teen (or tween) and you feel the years are already starting to creep up on you. You look at your parents and your teachers and think “Wow, were they ever young and interesting??” But maybe, just maybe, one day you’re standing in line and thinking about something mundane, something like a shopping list, or homework being due, or even – gasp – your future and you realize that old age and boring-ness are creeping up on you too. What can you do to defend yourself?

Well, that’s what this book is for. Included in the interactive (i.e. you’re actually encouraged to write in this book…breaking a rule already!) book are 101 activities or challenges for you to complete before you’re too far gone to care any more about being interesting. Yes, that’s right, this book is your guide on how to be cool and interesting before the natural progression of time defeats you and you become old. And boring.

I say this slightly tongue-in-cheek, as I’m technically old by this book’s standards (as would be the authors), but I refuse to be boring.

Each activity is color-coded by type (such as Mischief, Family & Friends, Learn To…, Create, etc.) and includes a brief description, some tips, and then a form for you to complete as you complete the task. Some will take years to complete (one, for instance, is to plant a tree somewhere and then years later return to climb it) while others can even be combined with other tasks to kill two birds with one stone. In fact, one of the helpful tips each task gives are which other tasks go along with it.

There are a wide range of activities included besides tree climbing: reading books, watching movies, annoying your parents (I’ll talk more about this in a minute), charity work, life lessons (like having an embarrassing moment and getting over it), scientific experiments (growing things from seeds, for instance), and creating stuff.

Some are, in my opinion, rather impossible (or sketchy) – for instance, task 14 is to see a ghost. The Mischief category is my least favorite (I suppose it is the old and boring in me) and, I think, the least useful. They aren’t even very good pranks, but will be sure to annoy (like task 27, Turn Back Time, which involves changing the time on all the clocks in your house and thereby making your parents late for work. Yeah, great idea, huh? Maybe they’ll even get fired. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?) Others are more beneficial to you (and the world) like task 26, Helping Save the Planet or task 84, Lobby your Local Representative.

Overall, the book is interesting and will likely get you to do a few things you might not have thought of doing otherwise. Expanding your mind is always good and 101 Things… encourages you to expand both your mind and your talents and even come up with your own list of things to do. Recommended for young and non-boring readers aged 12 and up, though some tasks you should save up for a year or two before attempting.

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