Wednesday Pop Quiz

Get out your paper and pencils, and, if you must, you can cheat by looking at the answer key at the end of this post.

1.  "Knotty, paunchy, nutty, raunchy." Name that novel. Need a clue?

2. What makes a good second-grade book? Stumped? An answer is a click away.

3. What's #1 on Publishers Weekly's picture-book bestseller list? Hint: The author is Maurice Sendak.

4. Which brand-new movie features a character who is also the subject of the picture-book biography Quiet Hero: The Ira Hayes Story? Tip: Clint Eastwood directed the film.

5. True or false? A phallic symbol adorned a review in The New York Times Book Review last weekend. If you're unsure, GalleyCat reveals.

6. Read the following, then answer the question below.

"It was almost Halloween, and [character name X] couldn't wait. She and her baby sister, Apple Dumplin', skipped through the leaves to Angel Cake's house."

This excerpt comes from
A. The new Richard Ford novel, The Lay of the Land;
B. Strawberry Shortcake: The Halloween Play;
or
C. The Bible?

(Amazon knows.)

7. As of Wednesday morning, which Cybils category has some 60 nominations already? (Holy cannoli.) The Cybils are the new Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards.

8. Essay question. In 3,000 words or less, agree or disagree with this sentiment: "The culture of prize-giving has gone mad. It has replaced the art of criticism in determining cultural value and shaping public taste." Do not use The Guardian as your source.

9. Which New Yorker writer holds the record for the most short stories published in one year? If you peek at "Ask the Librarians" at Emdashes before answering, you will lose 10 points on your grade.

10. Where can you find a dozen good spy books for kids? Pssst.

Bonus question:

Who said "The irony of my job is that I write for illiterates?"
(Hint: The person lives in Brooklyn, and, no, it is not Rick Moody or Katha Pollitt.)

Answer key
1. Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day; 2. "A Letter to Parents," by Robin Smith, in the current issue of The Horn Book; 3. Mommy?; 4. "Flags of Our Fathers"; 5. True; 6. B; 7. Young Adult Fiction; 8. See Jason Cowley's essay; 9.  E.B. White (James Thurber and John O'Hara are tied for second place); 10. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (October issue); Bonus: Mo Willems.

Thanks to Terry Teachout at About Last Night for the Emdashes link.

Comments

[MotherReader]

I didn't know freakin any of those - including the Cybils one where I guessed picture books (I am sooo glad I am not narrowing down the YA category now).

Excellent format to the post today. I loved it!

[Susan]

I would have guessed picture books, too, MR.