For any parents raised in a time, as I was, where all things educational-including life skills-were left to a school system that was inadequate, this is a great springboard to help make sure your son is better prepared for adulthood than you were. And at a cost of $19.95 for a 183-page spiral-bound book, it is a worthwhile investment in your son's future.

As the parent of two boys and two girls, I never cease to be amazed at the abundance of materials available to help me raise my daughters to care for a family and a home. On the other hand, there seem to be very few resources available to help me train my sons in life skills. Having heard this from many other parents, Mrs. Greene and Mrs. Kappenman created this book to help fill that gender gap.

The topics covered are varied and wide-ranging. There are chapters on cooking, manners, first aid, home maintenance, woodworking, gardening, outdoor adventures, and even money management. As you are preparing your sons to be the primary financial providers for their families in the future, these are skills that they should learn in order to be productive members of society.

While the information taught is, for the most part, applicable to both genders, this book is definitely written to a male perspective. This should make it more appealing to most preteen and teenage boys than materials geared toward their sisters. Some of the topics covered may not pique the interest of most girls, but many boys would consider those topics essential to know.

The chapter on cooking covers basics (types of cooking tools needed, cooking terms) as well as more in-depth topics (e.g., recipes in every category). After working his way through this chapter, your son should be ready to step in and help prepare almost any meal needed for his family.

The chapter on manners is less in-depth but nonetheless gives a thorough overview of what a well-behaved young man needs to know. A nice bonus to this section is the page detailing how to tie a tie. This isn't always easy to learn and is often a skill parents overlook when raising their sons.

First aid covers not only safety rules and tips but also home remedies and treatments for serious and not-so-serious ailments. The home maintenance chapter covers basic laundry, sewing, and cleaning along with standard home maintenance skills. The remaining chapters also are a good mixture of very simple, basic information and more in-depth components.

One thing I would like to see added to this volume is an appendix of resources for more information on each topic. When my son explores woodworking, for example, where might I go to gather more information for him? Or better yet, where might I direct him to look on his own? A list of books, websites, or organizations would allow me to carry what he learns from this handbook further.

Overall, I believe this is a tremendous resource for homeschooling parents of sons. I plan to use it as a self-directed study guide for my teenage son and as a parent/child activity with my younger son. I believe they will both gain self-confidence and valuable skills that can be used both now and in their future.

Product review by Melanie Bunnett, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, September 2006