Thanks NetGalley for the free ebook!

This was such a wonderful book. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing Ben Brooks got inspired by Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women to write this version about boys and men. I'm really glad this book tells the stories of 100 wonderful men that did amazing things without the need of violence, "manning up" or supressing feelings like boys are taught to do stereotypically. I think it teaches a very good lesson about what masculinity means, and that you can be an equally valid young man even if you choose not to follow the stereotypes. I've discovered men that I haven't heard of before who achieved incredible things and deserve more attention for their actions than, for example, famous athletes or artists that are looked up to for being good at kicking a ball or playing an instrument even if they are bad people who did horrible things.

Being Argentine, I'm proud that Lionel Messi was included here, because I think he's a good man that fought for his dream in spite of all the obstacles in the way, and I do believe he is an example for young boys, unlike Maradona, who may have also been a very good football player 40 years ago, but he is known to be a drug addict, a sexist, wife-beater pig who should not be looked up to. I would have been very mad if he was included in this collection of stories.

Even if this is a kind of "plagiarism" to the Rebel Girls books, I appreciate the concept was used for good to depict positive male roles in this collection and I encourage every adult to read this to young boys and teach them how to become fine men while avoiding toxic masculinity.

I love the books idea, childen can be inspired to be themselves and persue their purpose in life. However I don’t understand what boys can learn from someone who became transgender because he could not accept himself the way he was, or an actor that got lucky in playing a big role. Boys need to lern to grow were they are planted and give their very best. Some people from this book did not dare to be different they just had a chance that others did not have, they literally did nothing for it.
I don’t think today’s boys and tomorrows men need an impolse to be this kind of different ( to pursue any crazy idea that comes to you). I think they need to see people that that impacted the world and that did something for other, even if it was the smallest gesture. This is the kind of different boys have to dare to be.
Running after “the first man” title takes you nowhere. Helping others, that is a true heroes job.
Boys that dare to help others, that would have been an inspiring title for todays generations!

This book can be used in many ways at class, children can learn from good and bad. They can analise each character and see which way they want go in life.

I would give
5/5 stars for the books idea
3/5 stars for its role models
2/5 stars for its title
5/5 stars for illustration and presentation

Thanks to Perseus Books / Running Press for the ARC!

Some might think of this book as the male version of "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls", even though they aren't associated at all.

One of the differences I noticed between them is that in this case the names aren't presented in alphabetical order. For some reason, this bothered me a bit. I don't know if children care about that, but I do. I didn't know what to expect next.

I really enjoyed reading it, because I believe it's always a good idea to bring good examples for children. I also like the fact that we have examples that kids may not know, and also some that they know really well (like the boy who played Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe). The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and will definitely get their attention.

Great read!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

My 9 year old son was glued to this book tonight. We read it together and it was well written for his level of reading and very informative. It covered a wide range of historical figures and his hero, Messi, made it a perfect read for him. Perfect for boys to encourage their reading and to gain knowledge and little snippets of info!

This was a superb read. It’s wonderful to see a book with positive male role models, across all types of interests, time spans and cultural backgrounds. There is a strong message about respect for women and equality for all. A must must must read for mid to upper primary ages, boys and girls alike. Will appeal to adult readers too.

Unfortunately the illustrations did not show up on the digital copy I got but I still was able to read the book itself. I liked the variety of men who were written about. I think this book would appeal to a broad audience and is something I can see purchasing for my students or for my son.

This book is the boy version of "good night stories for rebel girls" ... I get it. I found most of them truly worth being in the book. Others not that much. In each page you will find the story of a man/boy and their achievement.. which I think is great and their illustrated picture. Although I didn't love the illustration I didn't dislike them either.. which I think It has more to do with personal taste than in it's quality. Being mother of a boy I would get this for him.