Book Review of Ripley’s Believe it or Not: Wired into Weird
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The Children’s Book Review
Ripley’s Believe it or Not: Wired into Weird
Edited by Jordie R. Orlando
Designed by Rose Audette and Ekechi Pitt
Ages: 8+ | 256 Pages
Publisher: Ripley Publishing (2026) | ISBN: 978-1-60991-539-1
What to Expect: Facts, science, discovery, exploration, Florida, fun.
The latest installment in the long-running strange-but-true franchise, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Wired Into Weird offers a browsable, day-by-day almanac crammer with weird and wonderful discoveries.
The six chapters—Ripley’s Collection, Incredible People, Natural Wonders, Pop Culture, Around the World, and Beyond Belief—each offer a story tied to a named person, a real place, and a verifiable date, with a themed holiday tucked along the bottom of every spread. The stories focus on technology and innovation, opening with a look at robotics and AI at Ripley’s own attractions before branching out into its trademark mix of record-breaking feats, animal oddities, and human-interest stories from around the globe. Full-bleed, professional-quality photography and die-cut, hexagon-framed insets make each page engaging and immersive, and a handful of “Ripley’s Exclusive” interviews let a few of the book’s real-life subjects speak for themselves.
True to the well-established Ripley style, the photography throughout the volume catches readers’ attention with imagery that evokes the concept of “strange” before they even reach the text. Young readers who enjoy the shock of the grotesque side of weird will find plenty to gasp at — a button embedded in someone’s nose for ten years, for example, a sword-swallower’s throat-hook stunts, or a page of decorated human skulls kept in Bolivian homes. Notably, however, these stories are handled with the same matter-of-fact warmth as the book’s gentler stories, like a rescued dog whose unusual skin condition hasn’t slowed him down one bit. Short, punchy, jargon-free prose offers reluctant readers an easy entry point, presenting the stories in quick, satisfying bites. Woven throughout the book is lots of information about other Ripley venues and attractions, for readers who would like to take the fun beyond the written page.
For readers who enjoy learning about the stranger side of humanity, Ripley’s Believe it or Not: Wired into Weird is the perfect mix of curiosity and entertainment.
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About the Author
Built on the foundation of a daily newspaper cartoon in 1918 — still in print today — Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment has grown to be a global leader in family entertainment with more than 100 attractions across nine countries. Along with Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Ripley’s Aquariums, Great Wolf Lodge (Niagara Falls), Guinness World Records attractions, wax museums, traveling shows, miniature golf courses, mirror mazes, and more, the world of Ripley’s continues to grow through exciting new experiences, and online content.
For more information about the book, visit https://www.ripleys.com/general/wired-into-weird.
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