Trivia Teaser

Your Master of Trivia,
Kurtis Scaletta

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Oct 31, 2009


Question:	What scary children’s novel featured the cover text “Time is running out for Lewis and his Uncle Jonathan….”?

Acceptable Answers:	The answer, as a few people knew, is John Bellairs’ The House with a Clock in Its Walls, the first of Lewis Barnavelt’s famous gothic adventures.

The winner?	Lucky Lisa Nagel from Illinois was the name drawn from those who returned the correct answer.

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Oct 16, 2009


Question:	What children's book outsold Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol on Amazon.com during the week it was released? I asked what scary children’s novel featured the cover text “Time is running out for Lewis and his Uncle Jonathan….”? The answer, as a few people knew, is John Bellairs’ The House with a Clock in Its Walls, the first of Lewis Barnavelt’s famous gothic adventures.

Acceptable Answers:	The answer is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, the latest installment in the wildly popular book/cartoon hybrid by Jeff Kinney.

The winner?	We had several guesses, but no winners.

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Oct 2, 2009


Question:	What author and illustrator created a number of mouse characters to star in his stories, including Alexander, Frederick, Matthew, and Mr. McMouse?

Acceptable Answers:	The author/illustrator who created several mouse characters such as Alexander, Matthew, Frederick and Mr. McMouse is the fabulous Leo Leonni.

The winner?	This week the Randomizer chose from among the correct answers and came up with ... David LaRochelle. Congratulations! Many people commented about the charming and memorable qualities of Mr. Lionni's mice.

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Sept 25, 2009


Question:	What kind of hero in young adult literature is typified by Dick Hunter, bootblack, and Luke Walton, newsboy?

Acceptable Answers:	I asked what heroes of YA literature are typified by Dick Hunter, boot black and Luke Walton, news boy. They are the archetypal Horatio Alger heroes. Dick is the star of Alger’s first novel for young adults, Ragged Dick, which founded the rags-to-respectability success stories that cemented Alger’s name in the American lexicon. Usually Alger’s heroes do not become wildly rich, however. They just earn their way into the middle class with hard work, virtue, and luck.

The winner?	We had several guesses, but no winners this week.

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Sept 18, 2009


Question:	What man of letters (and words) celebrated his birthdate on September 18, 1709?

Acceptable Answers:	I asked what literary figure was born 300 years ago on September 19, 1709. My hint was that he had a “word for everything.” The answer is Samuel Johnson, humorist and essayist who also wrote the first English dictionary.

The winner?	This week the Randomizer chose ... (drum roll, please)... Carey Pritzker, Massachusetts.

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Sept 11, 2009


Question:	Name three Newbery Award winners which had the first and last name of a main character in their titles.

Acceptable Answers:	There are several, but it gets a bit complicated. I try to keep the questions short and sweet, and this one could have had a bunch of asterisks. For example, do initials count? (M.C. Higgins the Great) Do nicknames? (Maniac Magee) Do pets? (Ginger Pye) And is Mrs. Frankweiler a “main character”? (from the Mixed Up Files, etc.) I decided all of them do count. But one thing I put my foot down about is Awards versus Honors. Sorry, Charlotte Doyle. Like another Charlotte, you had to settle for the silver. Young Fu - 1933 Caddie Woodlawn - 1936 Johnny Tremain - 1944 Amos Fortune, Free Man - 1951 Ginger Pye - 1952 I Juan de Pareja - 1966 From the Mixed Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler - 1968 M.C. Higgins the Great - 1975 Maniac Magee - 1991

The winner?	We had three entries with the right answers out of many, many entrants. The Randomizer chose ... (ta-da!) ... Marcia Thompson, Minnesota. Marcia chose Swim the Fly by Don Calame.

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Sept 4, 2009


Question:	Whose stories have inspired songs by Carole King and Metallica?

Answer:	Maurice Sendak; "Really Rosie," by Carole King and "Where the Wild Things Are," by Metallica

The winner?	Anne Rockwell, Connecticut

Trivia Teaser Question - posted Aug 28, 2009


Question:	What three storybook characters appear as statues in Grant Park in Portland, Oregon?

Answer:	Beverly Cleary's characters Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, and Ribsy, Henry's dog.

The winner?	Martha Valainis, Iowa

Trivia Teaser Rules

A new trivia question pertaining to children's literature will be posted by Kurtis Scaletta every other Friday.

Please don't use Google to find your answer. This is a trivia contest, not a research contest.

Please submit one answer by the stated deadline, the following Wednesday. Click on the link, which includes a subject line telling us which contest you're answering.

Each right answer will be put into a hopper. One winner each week will receive a book they choose from three possibilities offered by CLN.

You need not be a member to win but we sure wish you were.
Consider joining to support our efforts.

If you've won the quiz in the last four weeks, please give someone else a chance.

We will ask for your shipping address so we may mail your prize to you.

If you are under the age of 18, please have a parent or teacher submit your answer for you.