Deadly Peril and how to avoid it by T Turner

5th October 2009, Bloomsbury
160 pages, Paperback
Review Copy

Children's, 8+, non-fiction

Smiles: 5
Yunaleska's recommended rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

As a child, I was very much a girl-girl. I hated getting muddy, dirty, camping - I wasn't adventurous. Not a lot has changed. I loved books with princesses, fairies and fluffy happy endings. Now my genres have widened a little (bear with me, I'm about to make my point). Oddly, my favourite book at secondary school (from age 11 to 16) was a humungous survival book, which taught you everything you needed to survive should rare tragedies strike. That is why I picked up Deadly Peril: and how to it avoid. As it says on the back cover: 'Knowledge is power'.

There is an awful lot of power in this little book. It is small enough you can keep it with you if you go backpacking. Why would you want to take this with you? Well, I doubt you can remember the exact details of how to treat octopus stings or sea snake bites. That's nothing compared to the scorpians which could sneak into the trainers you left lying on the ground, carelessly strewn as you made your way to bed.

The book is divided into 8 colour coded sections. Perhaps that is why there are no page numbers. The range of topics include:

• Menace from the deep - 6 out of 10 of the animals discussed have the letter S as the first letter of one word in their title. Maybe you could just steer clear of all animas beginning with S!
• Deadly Planet - well this sums up the dangerous world with live in, but in this case it refers to what is commonly phrased as 'natural disasters' - run of the mill earthquakes, tsunami, forest fires and the like.
  
• Unexpected Peril - from the common solar flare, to my favourite worry: The Bermuda Triangle. (I'm very glad when any holiday plans stay away from this area).
  
• Animal attack - these animals don't take kindly to being provoked. Oh, and vampire bats are real. They could kill you, but you won't become a vampire. Plus there is a good reason why I don't like snakes -they are in several categories!!
  
• Small but lethal - mostly consists of insects. Army ants had me smiling a lot. All I could think about was ants in combats, waving guns.
  
• Perilous weather - here I learnt that I was correct in thinking being outside in a car during a thunderstorm isn't a good idea (to the point I cancelled visiting a friend when I saw lightning).
• Everyday peril - the one which I didn't think of, but wasn't really a surprise was getting dressed.
  
• Adventurous peril - for those maniacs who seek thrills, danger lurks in both forms of diving.
  

Within section, everything follows the same format:

• Peril - name of peril
• Peril rating - how perilous it is. Well, since they are all in this book, they are something to be aware of.
  
• Location - there is nowhere in the world free from perils. Sorry.
  
• Best known for - reason for danger
• Your predicament - the scenario builder of how you end up near the peril. Often it is due to idiocy.
  
• What's the worst that can happen? - a series of steps from the moment you encounter the peril until you die.
  
• The good news - usually tales of those surviving the peril, or reasons why it isn't always as bad as it sounds.
  
• The bad news - sometimes there is no antidote.
  
• How to avoid deadly [peril written here] - tips on avoiding the peril. Some I knew, some I didn't. Not all are guaranteed to work.
  
• Fact file - further information about the peril.
  

This little book covers all the major disasters, deadly creatures, and some I'd never heard of. The style is hilarious, but the information contained is very true. I did sober up over a few of the natural disasters which have happened recently in my lifetime, but the advice given here is invaluable. It's the type of book you can dip in and out of, with each peril having a two page spread. Some of the illustrations are there just to look pretty, others are informative (including how giant hail is formed).

This will appeal to all ages, addressing the dangers of our world in a funny manner that everyone can understand. The information is presented in an easy to read manner which could help save a life or two. It has taught me that the world is dangerous, but strangely I'm not isolating myself in my home. Not least because my home can be dangerous, but because most people go through life never experiencing a single peril. I'm a firm believer of focusing on the present, and letting the future take care of itself.

I'm hanging onto this book, not just because I'd like a better chance of surviving the dangers outside my house, but because it is fuelling my muse's imagination.

Liked this? For a comic read, try Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce