History or How-to?

Just when you think you have a handle on what kinds of books will spark kids' enthusiasm, you discover how far off the mark you really are. Case in point: Scams, by Andreas Schroeder (177 SCH), is a great book about 10 different swindlers and tricksters throughout history. After talking about the book with a class a couple weeks ago, several students expressed interest. The one who took the book out brought it back this morning, saying he didn't like it at all. When I asked him why he didn't like it, he said he started reading it and right away couldn't see himself finishing it. When I asked him why not, he replied, "I wanted it to be about different ways you could trick people and make some easy money. It wasn't about that at all!" No, that's not exactly what the book is about; I'm just glad he figured that out so early into it.