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Children’s Author Trivia Volume 17

trivia-logoTo make answering the Children’s Author Trivia questions more fun, how about you can get a bit of bling for your blog if you are the first person to leave the correct answer for a question? I would send you an e-mail if you were a winner asking if you’d like a button. (See the buttons below.)

And without further ado, here are this week’s questions:

36. With characters as diverse as a dog named after a grocery store, a mouse with large ears, and a large china rabbit, what this author’s award-winning books have in common is that they are very popular with children and adults.

37. This author started out writing mostly nonfiction for magazines, but after 15 years tried writing fiction books for children and found his passion. Baseball figures prominently in many of his books.

If you know the authors, please leave a comment.

Edit: The answers are now posted.

And let me know what do you think of the idea of bling for your blog…

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Answers to Children’s Author Trivia Volume 16

Shelf-employed correctly identified our husband and wife team from last week.

34. The wife started out as a children’s book editor in New York City, but ended up moving to California where she has written over 60 books for young people. Many of her books are about animals. Recently she has taken up making jewelry. Can you name her?

Yes, the editor turned children’s book author is no other than Joanne Ryder.

I found out about Joanne Ryder when I was looking for a book about lizards. Lizards are common in Arizona, but not common in picture books. A friend of mine, who was originally from California, raved about this book her friend had written. Turns out it was Lizard in the Sun by Joanne Ryder.

If you are interested in her jewelry, Joanne has photographs on the Hammered and Stone website.

Here’s a lovely video trailer for her book, Panda Kindergarten.

Here are some of Joanne’s books:

35. The husband has a Chinese American background, and felt he never fit in to either culture as a child. He used his unique perspective to write a series of books about a Chinese family coming to the United States. Two books of the series are Newbery Honor books. Can you name him?

Laurence Michael Yep has also written a number of picture books, but he’s probably best known for his Golden Mountain Chronicles, of which Dragon’s Gate and Dragonwings are Newbery Honor books.

Don’t you like to see what the authors look and sound like? Here’s an interview with Laurence Yep.

Bet you can’t wait to read some of these:

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Hot X is Algebra Exposed!

I had seen a review of Hot X: Algebra Exposed by Danica McKellar at Pink Me and was intrigued. I heard about the book on Ira Flatow’s Science Friday. When I saw it at the library I knew it was saying, “Review Me!” But actually I also had an ulterior motive. You see, I know a boy who used to love math and now grimaces at the mere word. Would a book directed at getting girls to appreciate math hold any hope for an extremely jaded boy?

The good news is Hot X is much more than a guide to algebra. It’s also a hip call for young people to work hard, particularly at math, in order to attain their dreams. McKellar wants her readers to feel smart and confident, and develop the skills to be successful. It is a very positive message repeated throughout the book.

How is the math? A huge plus is that the questions are based on fresh, real world examples and each step is explained clearly. There are shortcuts and memory tricks. This celebrity author does know math. The book would be useful for anyone struggling with algebra, including adults.

Is Hot X too “girly” for guys? The illustrations of high heel shoes are probably not going to draw them in, but the cute girls are a whole different story. Let’s face it, at a certain age boys are going to find girls pretty interesting, and this book is in a way a look into the mysterious minds of young women. Plus it is easy to skip the parts aimed at young women and got straight to the math. Danica even admits she gets letters from boys who have used the book.

Although clearly written as a resource to purchase as a to supplement a math course, the tips and exercises could be a useful for instructors or for tutors looking for yet another way to get a point across. There are are additional solutions to problems on McKellar’s website.

The bottom line is that Hot X is much more than just a pretty face and a clever title. If you are studying or teaching algebra, you should take a look at it.

Hardcover: 417 pages
Publisher: Hudson Street Press (August 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594630704
ISBN-13: 978-1594630705

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by Anastasia Suen’s Nonfiction Monday page. This week’s post is at Write About Now.

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I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

Lately it seems that books have been finding me rather than vice versa. I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali, Delphine Minoui, and Linda Coverdale (Translator) was handed to me by a friend to give to another friend. When the pass off was delayed, I decided to read it myself. I am glad did.

In one way this is an easy book to read. It is face-paced and short, so that as an adult reader I finished it in a single sitting.

As for content, however, it is difficult to read. The experiences this child went through are atrocious. It is hard to even fathom what her life has been like. For those of you who haven’t heard about this book, Nujood was basically sold by her poor family to a man as his wife when she was only a child of nine or ten (her true age is up to question because births are not recorded in Yemen). Although the man says that he will not touch her until puberty, he immediately and repeatedly rapes her once he takes her home to his village. Eventually she persuades her husband to let her visit her family. Once there, she runs away to throw herself on the mercy of the court. As you can tell from the title, she is granted a divorce. The story jumps around a bit, as any story that is being recounted orally will do.

I am Nujood is perfect for book clubs. After reading  you will want to talk about it. There is much to be shared and processed. For example:

Question: Is this an adult book or young adult book?

Why it might be controversial:  The story has disturbing elements, as a young girl is brutally raped.

My take: Some people are treating this as a young adult book. For example, here is a blog post that lists it as young adult, but then recommends it for younger children in the comments. It was nominated in the middle grade to young adult nonfiction category for Cybils, but was found to be not eligible (the reason was not given). I would say my tween son would not have the interest or emotional maturity to read it, but mature teenagers might find it compelling.

Question: Is this book truly Nujood’s voice?

Why this is controversial:  Because Nujood has had very little education, her story is told by a journalist. The journalist’s version has been translated into English. There’s potential that Nujood’s story has been molded by adults with an agenda.

My take:  There are elements of this story that ring true, such as the fact the events are not told in a completely linear, chronological way. Plus, Nujood has been interviewed by many other journalists and her story told widely in the newspapers.

There are many, many other questions to be asked about this story. If you are looking for a book that is sure to generate lively discussion, I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced definitely fits the bill.

Paperback: 188 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press (March 2, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307589676
ISBN-13: 978-0307589675