Lonely Planet’s new collection of City Trails books reveal secrets, stories and other cool stuff about some of the world’s most popular destinations. New York is my favourite city to visit, so I was really interested to read the New York City Trails edition.
I’m liking
When I was around 8-12 I would have absolutely eaten this book up. I was a 90s tween in the American media heyday, and would have loved to dream about all the places this little book presents in such an engaging light. Just like its more traveler-orientated older siblings, this Lonely Planet guide talks about the famous landmarks and features as well as highlighting those off the beaten track. It misses out all the detail that the adult might need to find and gauge the budget requirements for each location – the sort of stuff kids hope adults will take care of for them.
It is super interesting, and laid out in a most appealing way – with pictures as well as drawings, just the right amount of text for the target age group. Themed tours include street sculpture and going underground. Featured attractions include MoMa and the Guggenheim, Grand Central Station and the 9/11 Memorial.
Things that made me go hmmmm
This is a book for a dreamer more than a traveler themselves I think – well, it depends on what type of traveler. There isn’t a lot of detail presented on each landmark/attraction, it’s a bit of an overview. If your family is actually traveling to New York (can I come?!) you’ll need a supplementary travel guide.
The conclusion
If you’ve got a streetwise tween who has the travel bug or loves all things New York, this book is the perfect package. They’ll read it many times over. If you’re just wanting to spark a child’s interest in some geography, this title will help you in that endeavour too.
This book was kindly provided for review purposes by the Publisher.
Lonely Planet Kids: New York City Trails is published by Lonely Planet Kids, RRP $19.99.
