AUTHOR: Doug Fields and Todd Temple
AR Points:
Difficulty Level
Number of Pages: 165
ISBN: 0840795416
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986
1st Line
Personal Review
This is a really fun book! I bought it back in the 1980s when I was in high school. Ah! The girls I charmed. Woo-hoo! I'm the man!
Okay...all foolishness aside. I really like this book. I participated in a dating workshop at a Christian camp (Windermere) that allowed me to share many ideas that I adapted from this book. It also inspired me to be a better date, a better friend, and a better Christian.
Doug Fields and Todd Temple have written a fantastic book full of creative ideas, witty admirations, and several chapters that include how-tos on sending notes, buying gifts and saying "I love you." I know this book and the authors were very popular when I was growing up, but I'm not sure how today's teens and young adults would receive them.
Teachers Review
Each idea is rooted in several basic principles of a loving relationship. The ideas in this book are creative and fun, which love must always be. They are sincere and honest, definitely a requirement. Each idea is rooted in principles of equality and independence of the individuals involved. A successful relationship, as Pastor Harold Dinsmore once told me, is dependent on both members remaining independent individuals. These principles aren't the content of the book though! They are just the outcomes of some really great date ideas!
Amusing illustrations by Steve Bjorkman accompany varying date ideas. These witty little cartoons make light the subject of that awkward moment when two people come together for the first time. The authors also include details of "Worst Dates". These worst dates include quotes and detail the tragic events that occurred from real readers' experiences. (The authors are renowned youth group leaders and teen advisors.) The ideas in the book can be used by both boys and girls and they are definitely appropriate for married couples.
Some of the best ideas in this book are "Run for Your Money" on page 33 which suggests the mischievous couple spread "fifteen dimes, twenty nickles and forty-eight pennies" out on a sidewalk outside a movie theater "two minutes before the children's matinee lets out." (Genius!) On page 99 "Day Camp" is a fun idea that costs a little more than $2.98 but promises to be entertaining for a group.
Finally, I want to recommend everyone read this book. Unless for some reason you just can't stand communicating with other people, you will enjoy the ideas in this book. Don't save all these ideas for one date though! Have fun sharing these moments over time. I haven't been able to ever put this book down. It is definitely a keeper that will be with me for a very long time. This is definitely a good book to give as an engagement, wedding, or even anniversary gift.
Suggested Activities
Since dating is such a personal experience and inspires a lot of gossip, classroom activities will have to be limited. A freshman college class on human relationships might be a reasonable context for activities surrounding this book.
Dating Experiences Scrap Book
Create a scrapbook of each attempt at the ideas in this book. Include photos whenever possible. Have both partners submit comments. This "couples" scrapbook is a great bonding activity.
