How to be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up
- Downloads：1042
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-11-13 06:56:27
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Catherine Newman
- ISBN：1635861829
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
This how-to book for kids aged 10 and up passes along essential life skills — without the parental nagging。
For the kid who leaves a wet towel wadded up on the floor or forgets to put a new roll on the toilet-paper thingy， writer and etiquette columnist Catherine Newman has written a guidebook to becoming a person whom everyone will like being around more。 Jam-packed with tips， tricks， and skills — all illustrated in an graphic-novel style — this book shows kids just how easy it is to free themselves from parental nagging and become a more dependable person — and they’ll like themselves better， too！
They’ll learn how to deal with dirty rooms， care for pets and cactuses， stick up for somebody， and fold a T-shirt。 They’ll even get a crash course on using the kitchen （including how to turn a 33-cent package of ramen into dinner） and a boot camp for lending a hand outside the house （mowing， shoveling， and fixing something loose）。
For the kid who leaves a wet towel wadded up on the floor or forgets to put a new roll on the toilet-paper thingy， writer and etiquette columnist Catherine Newman has written a guidebook to becoming a person whom everyone will like being around more。 Jam-packed with tips， tricks， and skills — all illustrated in an graphic-novel style — this book shows kids just how easy it is to free themselves from parental nagging and become a more dependable person — and they’ll like themselves better， too！
They’ll learn how to deal with dirty rooms， care for pets and cactuses， stick up for somebody， and fold a T-shirt。 They’ll even get a crash course on using the kitchen （including how to turn a 33-cent package of ramen into dinner） and a boot camp for lending a hand outside the house （mowing， shoveling， and fixing something loose）。
Reviews
mika
，
Definitely a book for a younger audience than me， but I still found some useful tips。 Sometimes it's good to go back to the basics， and not everyone learned all of these things at a young age。 When I have kids someday， I'd love for them to read this book。 Definitely a book for a younger audience than me， but I still found some useful tips。 Sometimes it's good to go back to the basics， and not everyone learned all of these things at a young age。 When I have kids someday， I'd love for them to read this book。 。。。more
Tracy Carter
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how to raise an independent human 101I have young daughters and my goal is to make them independent good humans。 This book helped remind me of the basic skills that they need along with how to slow down and teach them in a fun way。 Life is busy and instead of just doing things， this helped me to bring them into the daily and continue to make them self sufficient。
Ellen Brown
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Great book to gift your kids！ Features clever illustrations and helpful tips on everything from sorting laundry and making your bed to brightening an elderly person's day and contacting your congressman。Thank you for this delightful treasure， Catherine Newman！ Great book to gift your kids！ Features clever illustrations and helpful tips on everything from sorting laundry and making your bed to brightening an elderly person's day and contacting your congressman。Thank you for this delightful treasure， Catherine Newman！ 。。。more
Pippin
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It’s kinda cringe how it tries too hard。 Obnoxious and too dumbed down。 Some parts are good but I decided against it because:1。 The freaky picture of the monster in the toilet！ Some kids have vivid imaginations。2。 My kids actually love folding fitted sheets so I’m not going to give them a book that tells them “normal people” wad them up， despite how trendy that is to joke about。3。 Pushing them to be activists。 This depends on their age and most people start this too young imo。 They get one child It’s kinda cringe how it tries too hard。 Obnoxious and too dumbed down。 Some parts are good but I decided against it because:1。 The freaky picture of the monster in the toilet！ Some kids have vivid imaginations。2。 My kids actually love folding fitted sheets so I’m not going to give them a book that tells them “normal people” wad them up， despite how trendy that is to joke about。3。 Pushing them to be activists。 This depends on their age and most people start this too young imo。 They get one childhood， it’s their only chance to be carefree and just be kids。 They’ll have the worries of the world on their shoulders soon enough。4。 It’s very American， parts are not broad enough for other countries。 。。。more
Linda
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The book has advice and steps on cleaning spaces a home， completing chores， and laundry。 This book also speaks about etiquette and social interaction tips。 This book reads like a self-help column in magazines， so the reading is easy to understand， and there are brief quizzes to assist with reinforcing certain tips。 This book is highly useful for a tween or teenage reader in comprehending what should they should know about growing up to be functional adults。
Melissa Ganka-Collins
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Wonderful practical advise for young people on everything from manners to budgeting。 I wish it was funnier！ I was expecting some more sarcasm and entertainment to mask the fact that kids are learning practical skills。 I wonder how it will stand up to the test of time， but for now I will gladly share it with my elementary students。 It might even make a nice graduation gift。
Dariann
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This seems like a nice guide for tweens。 Everything is explained in an extremely simple way while still being descriptive enough to be helpful。
Michelle Luplow
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A book of things to learn before you're grown up， except I'm beyond grown up and I learned something from this :） I feel no shame！I liked it。 Liked all the drawings， liked that there are minimal words to read per page， liked the practical （and sometimes humorous） advice。I still don't know how to fold a fitted sheet， but I did learn how to clean some things a bit better and how to minimize waste。Some of the author's political proclivities surfaced occasionally， but I can overlook that。 What， nowa A book of things to learn before you're grown up， except I'm beyond grown up and I learned something from this :） I feel no shame！I liked it。 Liked all the drawings， liked that there are minimal words to read per page， liked the practical （and sometimes humorous） advice。I still don't know how to fold a fitted sheet， but I did learn how to clean some things a bit better and how to minimize waste。Some of the author's political proclivities surfaced occasionally， but I can overlook that。 What， nowadays， doesn't have political or social undertones？ （ugh） 。。。more
Tina
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I feel more like a person already！ A delightful guide book to many important life lessons including how to write a thank-you note， clean a bathroom， make scrambled eggs， fold laundry and calculate a tip。 A humorous introduction to "adulting，" good for any age！ I feel more like a person already！ A delightful guide book to many important life lessons including how to write a thank-you note， clean a bathroom， make scrambled eggs， fold laundry and calculate a tip。 A humorous introduction to "adulting，" good for any age！ 。。。more
Claire
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Technically it's for children， but would recomend for out of touch adults as well！Great little life reminders for functioning adults too。 Very cute illustrations， overall well done！ Technically it's for children， but would recomend for out of touch adults as well！Great little life reminders for functioning adults too。 Very cute illustrations， overall well done！ 。。。more
Stephen
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I came across the description for this one on Good Reads last year when my kid was still 15 and added it to my "To Read" list。 I wound up buying it for him as a Christmas gift。 I also had found out my kid didn't know how to use a toilet plunger， or a debit card for that matter。 Having read this I find it totally appropriate for the modern young adult。 The book writing is clever， and I laughed out loud at various points。 I think the humor is certainly disarming enough for a kid to learn the lesso I came across the description for this one on Good Reads last year when my kid was still 15 and added it to my "To Read" list。 I wound up buying it for him as a Christmas gift。 I also had found out my kid didn't know how to use a toilet plunger， or a debit card for that matter。 Having read this I find it totally appropriate for the modern young adult。 The book writing is clever， and I laughed out loud at various points。 I think the humor is certainly disarming enough for a kid to learn the lessons without being "talked at。" 。。。more
Jennifer Walsh
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Great books for tweens and teens！ I'm actually going to use it in class。 Great books for tweens and teens！ I'm actually going to use it in class。 。。。more
Dara
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Finally read something Catherine Newman wrote that isn't her column in Real Simple， and， as predicted， it's fantastic！ Finally read something Catherine Newman wrote that isn't her column in Real Simple， and， as predicted， it's fantastic！ 。。。more
Nadina
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Simple， well organized， easy to follow book。 A great tool to use as reference。 Some things "taught" were obvious， others not。 Also depends on a person's background。 Simple， well organized， easy to follow book。 A great tool to use as reference。 Some things "taught" were obvious， others not。 Also depends on a person's background。 。。。more
Carro Herdegen
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Content: GFiguring out what you need to know before you need to know it is hard。 Newman gives readers simple instructions for 65 important skills， including how to make a bed， how to calculate a tip， and how to use a swiss army knife！Newman is witty in her step-by-step directions and pop quizzes， keeping readers engaged in reading pages of instructions。 I love that she breaks down tasks that can seem daunting into simple steps -- and then encourages readers to ask for help to learn and to make c Content: GFiguring out what you need to know before you need to know it is hard。 Newman gives readers simple instructions for 65 important skills， including how to make a bed， how to calculate a tip， and how to use a swiss army knife！Newman is witty in her step-by-step directions and pop quizzes， keeping readers engaged in reading pages of instructions。 I love that she breaks down tasks that can seem daunting into simple steps -- and then encourages readers to ask for help to learn and to make cheat sheets for themselves as reminders。 Young readers will be empowered as they find they can do things like make spaghetti for dinner or write a condolence note。Reviewed for https://kissthebook。blogspot。com/ 。。。more
Megan
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Fun book to make learning life skills more engaging for the middle-grade crowd。
Amy
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How to book， very important skills！ Highly recommend！
Anna
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How to Be a Person has a good concept--gentle， friendly instruction in basic skills kids might not have--and the likable writing style and cute illustrations make it enjoyable enough to read， but I'm not sure how helpful anyone would really find it。 The instructions for many skills are quite vague or oversimplified。 How to Be a Person has a good concept--gentle， friendly instruction in basic skills kids might not have--and the likable writing style and cute illustrations make it enjoyable enough to read， but I'm not sure how helpful anyone would really find it。 The instructions for many skills are quite vague or oversimplified。 。。。more
Chrystopher
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Cute， useful， with surprisingly deep insights。
Alex
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We got the Jewish version of this book from PJ Library。 So good。 So helpful。 What a fun little book to pull out now and again with the kids， and to keep handy as a reference。
Becky B
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A collection of simple， 2 page illustrated guides on how to do every day chores and activities from laundry to sweeping the floor to cooking spaghetti to answering the phone politely and writing an email professionally。A nice little starter on how to do everyday things politely and well。 Some of the more complex things say to ask an adult to show you how to do it and take notes that you can tape up to use in the future。 The etiquette advice is great。 There's little bits of humor thrown in。 And o A collection of simple， 2 page illustrated guides on how to do every day chores and activities from laundry to sweeping the floor to cooking spaghetti to answering the phone politely and writing an email professionally。A nice little starter on how to do everyday things politely and well。 Some of the more complex things say to ask an adult to show you how to do it and take notes that you can tape up to use in the future。 The etiquette advice is great。 There's little bits of humor thrown in。 And overall， this is a very useful book。 One thing that boggled my mind was that the cooking section had zero mention of using a microwave。 It is important for kids to know how to use a microwave safely just as much as a stove， and that seemed like a huge oversight for a book written in the 2020s！ Also， this is written for an American audience so the notes on how to have a polite conversation with an adult （which mentions eye contact）， tipping etiquette， and silverware placement may be different in other places around the globe。 Other than that， this is a very useful book and would be a great 5th grade graduation gift， 12th or 13th birthday gift， or middle school classroom resource。 No content issues。 。。。more
Gretchen
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This book was really fun and really practical。 I think my favorite part of the whole book is the introduction when the author shares how you may have come to be reading this book and why she wrote it。 It's not to make adults faster， but to help fill in some really important skills you may not have encountered yet in order to be your "very best self。" Then each skill （make your bed， write a thank-you note， wrap a present， apologize。。。） is presented in a cheerful and simple way with humor embedded This book was really fun and really practical。 I think my favorite part of the whole book is the introduction when the author shares how you may have come to be reading this book and why she wrote it。 It's not to make adults faster， but to help fill in some really important skills you may not have encountered yet in order to be your "very best self。" Then each skill （make your bed， write a thank-you note， wrap a present， apologize。。。） is presented in a cheerful and simple way with humor embedded throughout。 As a teacher， I am surprised sometimes by the skills that I wind up teaching students because they haven't learned them at home and simply don't understand what they are supposed to do in certain situations。 Once they quickly learn them it makes them less of an outsider to the other students and they feel better about themselves。 Some people may need to learn many of these skills or just one or two but because it is a fun read they could learn them without a feeling of shame or awkwardness。 I could also absolutely see sharing one or two of the skills with my whole class （just as a needed refresher） and showing a fun model of "how-to" writing。 。。。more
Leah Agirlandaboy
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This is wonderful！ And my 12yo *did* read it and like it！ He was reluctant when the introduction acknowledged it was probably given to him passive-aggressively by an adult， but he dove back in when I showed him the bit about folding a fitted sheet， which says， “Just kidding。 Go ahead and wad it up like a normal person。” 😂This is cute and conversational without being all “HelLo FelLow KiDS，” and it assumes nothing is too basic to be explained while also not treating readers like they’re dummies。 This is wonderful！ And my 12yo *did* read it and like it！ He was reluctant when the introduction acknowledged it was probably given to him passive-aggressively by an adult， but he dove back in when I showed him the bit about folding a fitted sheet， which says， “Just kidding。 Go ahead and wad it up like a normal person。” 😂This is cute and conversational without being all “HelLo FelLow KiDS，” and it assumes nothing is too basic to be explained while also not treating readers like they’re dummies。 I can imagine giving it to someone as young as 8 or 9 or someone moving out for the first time。 The range of topics is impressive （cooking， cleaning， laundry， money management， writing thank-you notes， making apologies， donating to charity， sewing on a button， plunging a toilet， building a fire， asking “How can I help？，” the list goes on）， and the text is always right to the point， even while including tiny details like telling you to squeeze the extra water out of the dish sponge and put it where it goes when you’re done using it。 I’m buying a reference copy to keep。 。。。more
Billy Book
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This book was very informative， and is good for teaching people about various life skills。 I am a 12-year-old who my mom passive-aggressively gave to me， and I was surprise by how much I actually enjoyed this book。 What's great is that as a parent， you could give this to anyone， from your 9-year-old child to someone who's about to move out of the house。 I pretty good book in general， but I'm saying four stars because it's pretty short。 This book was very informative， and is good for teaching people about various life skills。 I am a 12-year-old who my mom passive-aggressively gave to me， and I was surprise by how much I actually enjoyed this book。 What's great is that as a parent， you could give this to anyone， from your 9-year-old child to someone who's about to move out of the house。 I pretty good book in general， but I'm saying four stars because it's pretty short。 。。。more
KLS
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A charming little book that does exactly what it says on the tin。 Definitely a book for a targeted demographic of young teens， but even then， it's a nice reminder of the stripped-backed basics for even adults。 With topics ranging from how to do chores to how to answer the phone and receive guests， this book is a wonderful read for kids who might be uncertain about the more adult-chore-like things in life， with charming illustrations that make the reading all the more palatable。 A 4/5 book for su A charming little book that does exactly what it says on the tin。 Definitely a book for a targeted demographic of young teens， but even then， it's a nice reminder of the stripped-backed basics for even adults。 With topics ranging from how to do chores to how to answer the phone and receive guests， this book is a wonderful read for kids who might be uncertain about the more adult-chore-like things in life， with charming illustrations that make the reading all the more palatable。 A 4/5 book for sure。 。。。more
Heydi Smith
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This would have been very helpful when I was a teen。 I think these books should be provided to high schoolers。 VERY needed info。
Michelle
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A useful and entertaining book about our basic skills that we use as humans。 A good reminder for some adults who may have forgotten certain niceties（check out the bathroom cleaning etiquette section） and definitely good for those that are growing up as we speak。
Mid-Continent Public Library
，
This is an amazing How To book for kids！ It is divided into seven chapters， each addresses a topic。 For example， Saying It Right covers apologies， thank you notes， and addressing envelopes among others。 You're Wearing That？ gives laundry tips （including how to remove stains） and how to sew on a button。 The information is immensely practical， but is presented in a winsome and often humorous way with colorful， complementary illustrations。 Newman expands beyond the physical realm to include informa This is an amazing How To book for kids！ It is divided into seven chapters， each addresses a topic。 For example， Saying It Right covers apologies， thank you notes， and addressing envelopes among others。 You're Wearing That？ gives laundry tips （including how to remove stains） and how to sew on a button。 The information is immensely practical， but is presented in a winsome and often humorous way with colorful， complementary illustrations。 Newman expands beyond the physical realm to include information on philanthropy and tips on being happy。 Highly recommended for six and up。 。。。more
Sunny Flynn
，
I thought this would be fun to read+do through quarantine with young kids。 It’s not really the activities book that I thought it would be - it’s more of a coffee table book for families。 It’s a kind book。
GT
，