Famous Fails!: Mighty Mistakes, Mega Mishaps, & How a Mess Can Lead to Success!

by Crispin Boyer, National Geographic Kids (Editor)

This fun book of quirky failures and famous flops will keep kids laughing while they learn the importance of messing up in order to get it right. Science, architecture, technology, entertainment -- there are epic fails and hilarious goof-ups from every important field. Silly side features help to analyze the failures: "Lesson Learned," "It Could be Worse!," "Losing Combinations," and a "Fail Scale" to help readers navigate the different kinds and scope of the mistakes made. The stories will include what went wrong, what went right, and what kids can learn from each failed attempt.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens

128 pages, Library Binding

Published October 25, 2016

About the author

Crispin Boyer lives in San Francisco and writes about history, wildlife, and technology. He and his wife, Ramah, are the lord and lady of a 1914 Victorian that is 700 times smaller than a typical castle but almost as drafty. Their microwave might not roast an ox like most medieval ovens, but at least their bathroom isn't a hole in the wall that empties into a stinky moat.

Reviews

[Vera Godley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little soft cover book is fun. It chronicles failures - some not so well know and some epic. It also shows how failure can lead to success. The Table of Contents doesn't give a clue about the individuals (famous) one might wish to seek out, but you can find them in the Index in the back. Example: Thomas Edison and Einstein.

I love this quote: "Only the one who does not question is safe from making a mistake." Albert Einstein

A fun book to tuck away some interesting facts into your head and to while away a few hours.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review of my opinions and I was not compensated.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From car-airplane hybrids to accidentally inventing the microwave, this fact-filled book has all types of mistakes, blunders, messes, and happy accidents. Not every mishap in the book turns out well for the people involved, but they’re all wildly interesting.

This is one of those books that fact-loving kids gobble up. My daughter devoured most of this book the day I gave it to her. She loved the movie mistakes and the food mishaps/happy accidents the best. As for me, I enjoyed the “Sordid Past” and “Botched Buildings” sections the most.

Famous Fails is written in a humorous, conversational tone, which is perfect for kids in the 8-12 age range. The writing makes it understandable and accessible to tweens. I also love all the photos and fact captions.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel much better about my life and many failures after reading this book. Somehow it's very comforting to know that I'm not the only one who has messed up. I found this book absolutely fascinating as I read about the many different types of failures the world has scene. Everything from buildings that burn things to flying cars to failed inventions. It was especially interesting to read about some really famous people like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison who despite being really successful in the long run, also experienced their own failures. There are many types of failures depicted in this book, everything from sports, to food, to entertainment (Smell-o-vision, anyone?), failed escape attempts, to fashion. Side bars share lessons learned, things that were even worse, and tips for dealing with one's own mistakes. This is a book that should definitely be in libraries for all ages for there is much to be learned here. There is even a game of sorts included challenging the readers to identify 9 mistakes in the book itself. Lots and lots of fun to be found in this book.

[Dian Pradikta · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Menara Pisa menjadi tujuan favorit turis justru karena pesona kemiringannya. Tujuan usaha perbaikan menara senilai 30 juta dolar pada 1990an adalah memastikan kemiringan itu tetap ada. Keunikanmu tak kurang berharganya. Punya tawa yang aneh? Mata tak sama besar? Bentuk hidung yang lucu? "Cacat" itu membuatmu unik." (P.43).

Bukan hanya Menara Pisa, banyak sekali kegagalan yang terjadi di dunia itu. Namun semua bisa berubah menjadi kebaikan. Menara Pisa merupakan satu dari banyak hal yang dibahas di buku ini.
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So, apa saja ya yang menarik di buku ini?! 🥳

🍩 Ilustrasi. Ilustrasinya memudahkan untuk memahami makna yang disampaikan. Yakin banget bagi yang malas baca pun akan terlena untuk baca buku ini. Yup, ilustrasinya memang bikin fokus. Geser dong biar tahu kerennya!

🍩 Bukan hanya berbagi mengenai kegagalan tapi ada solusi atau pelajaran di dalam kegagalan tersebut.

🍩 Quote. Banyak quote yang membakar semangat. Bagi yang menghadapi kegagalan tetap semangat dan full senyum. 😄

🍩 Di bab terkahir (BAB 8) disajikan bahasan soal "Cara menghadapi Kegagalan". Tuh! Kamu bisa baca sekaligus belajar!

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Banyaknya gambar dan dengan penjelasan yang tidak terlalu panjang membuat pembaca bisa berdamai dan menyelesaikan buku ini lebih cepat. So, menarik bukan?!

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"Jalan menuju sukses dipenuhi lubang dan polisi tidur, tikungan tajam dan putaran penuh. Tapi setiap salah langkah melengkapi petamu dan membawa kamu lebih dekat ke tujuan...." (P. 106).

[Donna Luu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these are very funny, but I also like the slightly inspirational takeaways, generally of the type "learn from your mistakes," "don't believe everything you read or hear," and "check your sources."

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book! Loved it loved it loved it. It’s great for any kid (or adult) who wants to know some fun facts and history about failures in an entertaining way.

It has loads of pictures, fun things to find, lots of crazy, awesome info, AND the format is fun and engaging. Read it!

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read of the failures of others. Also has good lessons/advice on each page.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story on how inventions or ideas have failed in the past.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting in content, as well as, presentation style.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

I think one of the greatest lessons for children to learn is that failure doesn’t always equal failure. So many inventions and success began as what many would consider a failure when in actuality it was the beginning of a great thing. Giving up after a failure means you didn’t learn anything from it when failure is one of the best learning experiences. This text goes through hundreds of examples of famous people who failed or failures that became successes–wonderful stories for young people to read.

[Meghan Alcala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of this hilarious but informative book. This is a book to be enjoyed not only by curious children but by all who love to learn and have fun doing it. The book is arranged in the perfect way, directing the eye from the main point to the smaller tidbits, either about how it did not fail the next time or how maybe it could have been worse.

More importantly, Boyer uses examples from all different areas of study, from science and technology to the culinary arts and everything in between. This range is why this book will be so thoroughly enjoyed by so many people: there is something that will interest everyone!

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making a mistake is how we learn. We can always pull up our boot straps and try it again. After all, practice makes perfect! In the 1970’s Henry Smolinski took it upon himself to put airplane wings on a Ford Pinto. It was a big idea and a big mistake. It cost him and a friend their lives. In the 1960’s director Mike Todd, Jr., introduced Smell-o-Vision. He wanted movie goers to experience various smells while watching a movie. Technical glitches ruined its reception with critics and audiences. One of the greatest blunders in product history is when Coca-Cola decided to change their formula for its popular drink. Other famous fails are bacon cooked in a toaster, fortune cookies for dogs, and chocolate covered French fries.

Not all mistakes are bad or end in doom and gloom. Some famous fails turned out to be happy accidents. In 1905 Frank Epperson left a favorite soda in a cup overnight outside. It froze and, as a result, the popsicle was invented. Percy Spencer was experimenting with a microwave and popcorn kernels. He invented a two-for-one in a conventional oven and microwave popcorn. Readers will discover a plethora of mistakes in sports, musicals, historical events, animals and so much more. Fun facts in bright yellow squares and circles hilariously tagged It Could Be Worse and Lesson Learned provide insight on the topic at hand. Silly Mash-ups like Rock + Dog = Pet Rock are insightful and fun. There are plenty of photos that show the good and bad points of these famous fails. Everyone in the family will enjoy and be inspired by this guide.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids (and so do most adults) think that someone has a good idea, and it just takes off. What most people don't realize that there are many mess-ups along the way. Here is a book that shows kids that it's okay to make mistakes and then to keep going. Some mistakes lead to new inventions, some were just outright failures, but the thing all of the inventors had in common was they kept trying.

This book takes a mistake and shows the kids how to turn it into a lesson or a positive experience.

Good for kids.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is FANTASTIC. I could not stop reading it and both my boys thought is was super cool too! This book is filled with mistakes, mishaps and blunders that ultimately teach us about success. It is a great twist on a book topic and it is so very fascinating. This book has all the things that I love about National Geographic...the amazing photos, great tidbits and facts, as well as the well written index and answer key located in the back of the book.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining. After reading it, I passed it around to other family members. We all enjoyed it and found it fun to read. My 8 and 10 year old neice and nephew seemed to enjoy it the most but the facts are fun for anyone.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got tired of it pretty fast.