Wreck This Journal

Technically, Keri Smith’s Wreck This Journal isn’t exactly a book, but I wanted to write a review of it anyway.

This week, I gave the “journal” to my niece who turned 13 years old. I knew she would either react with rapture or complete apathy. Fortunately for my aspirations to be a cool aunt, she loved it.

Each page of the journal contains different instructions for destructing the book: poke holes through this page, burn that page, mail the entire journal to yourself. My niece immediately set out to wreck the journal. She ripped pages, smeared food on other pages, and sprayed perfume on a few.

The one drawback to the journal is that it asks for very little actual writing. I’d like to see a few more opportunities and prompts to record one’s thoughts and experiences. That being said, the book does get the creative juices flowing in other—albeit more destructive—ways.

Wreck This Journal isn’t likely to inspire the next Shakespeare. But it can give young people a lot of giggles and a way to channel their energy in a creative manner. And it just might inspire the next Picasso.