Other people have pointed out that having separate guides would be much less of an issue if they had just been labeled "Outdoor" or "Adventures" and "Social Situations" instead

While I was a boy, I can honestly say that I have never had to deal with any of the topics listed in the boy's column, except for a forest, a desert, and a fall.

Conversely, I've had to survive (and occasionally continue to have to survive) all of the topics listed in the girl's column, except soccer tryouts, becoming rich (*sigh*), sudden stardom (*sigh*), fashion disaster, teaching my cat to sit, pick perfect sunglasses (since I wear prescriptions), and a zombie attack.

In short, the book for boys could well be re-labeled, "How to survive things that most people won't have to deal with," and the other (with the removal of "a zombie attack" and possibly the being rich and having stardom) could be re-labeled, "How to survive things that most people will have to do at some time in their lives."

True, the 10-13 year-old me would have bought the boys' survival guide - provided I didn't immediately recognize that most of the info was likely covered in my brother's Boy Scout handbook.

 I find the covers so interesting too.  The "boy's" cover mostly focuses on the danger, and you can't even see his face.  The "girl's" cover is just as dynamic, and would imply that even if the girl's book is gendered, there is some crossover in the context of "dangerous situations" (though it seems that fictional zombie attacks are the only crossover).  The girl's appearance is the focus of the cover, though, including a trendy survival outfit (probably more useful than the boy's blue polo shirt, honestly) and long shiny hair, and she's inexplicably on the phone while ziplining.  The covers give the implication they're basically the same book, but one of them is more pink.  The chapter titles imply that they're actually "Worst Case Scenario: Pre-teen Edition" and "How To Survive Everyday Tween Situations, plus a few fashion tips."  As a kid, I would have probably bought both of these books after scanning the index, because "Boys only" seems like an entertaining read, but "girls only" would seem useful (still don't know how to pick out sunglasses).

Nowhere I see how to survive riding a zip line in the girls' book. Likely the-girl-who-takes-a-call-while-on-a-zipline is dead. Maybe that was the missing piece of advice.

The stupid.  It burns.

The only thing I see tht they have in common is "How to Survive a Zombie Invasion" and "Surviving a Zombie Attack " which could be counted as the same, strictly speaking,...
wait...zombies? What am I reading?

Apparently boys never have to say their sorry.

Is it me, or is "How to turn a no into a yes" for girls especially disturbing?

I think the boys only/girls only thing has a lot to do with the age thing though.  Until I was like 8 or 9, i really kind of didn't like boys and all the little clubs we made as girls never included them. we didn't even invite them to birthday parties until like.. jr high..and it was just a wonderful time where female relationships had nothing at all to do with men and their dicks.

it's sad because i would have wanted the 'girl' book, can't lie but someone made a comment about how the skills in that one are more useful and everyday and so, more interesting to read.

I'm glad they have how to survive a Zombie attack in both versions. At least this bit of essential information is not gendered. 

....The girl's guide sounds exactly like the sort of thing my little sister would want, at age ten.

As in choose for herself, based on personal interest in content. If others want to live in an androgynous culture, cool. Great. Ostracizing kids like my little sister for wanting to be a pink and frilly archetypical girls, though, by cutting off and limiting her interests is offensive.

...More to the point, if I handed her the 'boys' guide, stripped of gender, she would be alternatively uninterested (pretty much any natural disaster article) or grossed out (she hates polar bears and blood, and she doesn't like how everyone talks about zombies all the time).

I'm all for gender-equity in society. I am flat-out firmly against any action which tells a child, any child, that they can't self-identify with whatever identity they'd care to choose for themselves. This is f'cking ridiculous.

Hey mod - isn't filtering out dissenting opinion the prime tactic of conservative thinkers?

That being said, you did post an article promoting censorship in lieu of education. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. 

OMG this book is awesome where can I get a copy