You vs The World: The Bear Grylls Guide to Never Giving Up

Bear Grylls challenges and inspires readers in his new book, by retelling his own, relatable experiences from his childhood, as well as his more thrilling ones from his time in the armed forces. The entire book may be about never giving up, but each chapter is about taking the time to become a stronger person, and how we can each do this. He encourages his readers to get outside and experience nature – including the weather. They are encouraged to face fears and try new activities that will help them to grow. Bear Grylls reminds the reader about the value of friendship, trust and kindness. There are also stories showing the importance of gratitude in our lives.

The chapters are short, simple and have anecdotes from his life. These anecdotes are suitable for children of any age. The font is large and the main messages are HUGE so you can’t miss them. There are illustrations to keep the attention of readers to love visuals and they add to the humour of the writing and keep it relatable. The images show children of a mix of genders and ethnicities. The format is a slightly larger paperback, so it makes a good size for sharing the pictures if you are reading this aloud to a class.

I expected this book to appeal to students who liked the outdoors, but have found that it appealed to them all, though is most suitable for readers aged 7 to 12.

I will warn you – adults AND children may be challenged by some of the lessons in this book – I was.