UNPLUGGED: Hundreds of Activities for Teens to Do Without a Screen is designed for teenagers; it has hundreds of fun activities that teenagers can do that don't involve a screen. Some of the ideas are free and only take a few minutes while others may cost a small fortune and take years. UNPLUGGED contains useful ideas, such as creative ways to earn money and ideas to make their parents happy. There are a number of activities teens can do with their friends or to do to make new friends. The first section includes lists of activities that people can do, from cooking to earning money. The second includes things that teens should know about, like how to avoid being poor, how to negotiate, how to tell if someone is lying, and other similar skills. The third is similar to the second, only more focused on health. Because some of the sections are simply long lists, at the bottom "activities" were added which serve as hints or jumping-off points for that particular list. ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Paul Walker is the dad. His daughter Alexandra Boyden Walker (age 13) and his son Calvin Boyden Walker (age 17) give their dad "rant scores" whenever he contributes to the book, yet it is obvious they have deep respect for him. Teens themselves, they are concerned their peers will grow up with compromised social skills because of their obsession with their devices, spending the equivalent of 136 days a year on them. So they did extensive research and created lists of healthier activities to do instead.
About the Author: As written in the bios in the book: Studious Student Daughter, aka Alexandra Boyden Walker. (I put my real name so I can get credit for the book and satisfy the whole "using it for college thing.") Most of my work involved cutting out Dad's rants, and damnation, there were a lot of them. I'll probably be thirty by the time this book gets published. (NOTE: She is going on fourteen years old.) As written in the bios in the book: Brother, aka Calvin Boyden Walker. This book really did start with my dad making me write a list of 1,000 things to do without a computer as punishment for spending too much time on the computer. Of course, my list included: wake up, get out of bed, put on one sock, put on second sock, put on third sock, etc. Then my dad started dropping piles of books on my bed with instructions on how I was to find new activities. Hopefully by the time you read this I will no longer be in 10th grade. Although if my dad keeps making me work on this book, I may not have enough time to study and flunk out. My hobbies include playing video games on my computer, playing video games on my phone, having friends come over to play video games, going to my friend's house to play video games and thinking about playing video games while running in track. I attend a Charter School where I study digital art (how to make video games). As written in the book by his teens: Dad, aka "the old man." If I had to explain what he does, I'd say complaining and avoiding work. Mostly though, he comes out of his office to pet the cats or tell us he is going to take a shower and delay the inevitable. He tends to become invested in something and then do a ton of research followed by a ton of lectures on said subject. Suffice it to say, there were a lot more of his rants in the first draft. Though he probably won't admit it (he's trying to use this book to get us into college, apparently), he actually had quite a hand in making this book possible, including research, production, writing, and threats.