Want to be a trivia? The more books you read, the more stuff you know. Lucky for you, there are lots of books out there - for kids - about tons of topics that can help you build up the trivia library in your mind!
Ever wanted to be a trivia whiz, like the guys that win on Jeopardy week after week? We think the trick may be in how much you read - seems that the more books you read, the more stuff you know about in general. But you don't have to read just any old book to become a fact fanatic; lucky for you, there are lots of books out there - for kids - about tons of topics that can help you build up the trivia library in your mind!
Horrible Science: Fatal Forces
Horrible Science: Fatal Forces is a book by Nick Arnold (with illustrations by Tony De Saulles), the same author who wrote such enticing titles as Disgusting Digestion, Chemical Chaos and Nasty Nature. It's a really lively book that tells you all sorts of cool facts about different kinds of forces (think gravity), including lots of historical goodies, practical science, splats, falls and disasters. It's an easy and funny read with just the right amount of the ewww factor that exposes and explains the different aspects of physics present in our everyday lives. Plus, the funny illustrations that gives the facts to you straight - no silver platter in sight.
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Horrible Histories Handbooks: Trenches
Would YOU Survive World War One? That's the question posed right on the cover of the bestselling book Horrible Histories Handbooks: Trenchesby Terry Dreary (illustrated by Martin Brown). After reading this book, we're not so sure we would! Trenches gives you an in-depth look at life in the trenches, including full-color illustrations that bring you even closer to all the action in a wartime dugout. The book focuses equally on the British and German forces' trenches during World War I. All the info you'll read is 100% factual and true, and presented in easy-to-digest little snippets, moving quickly from one amazing topic to another. While some basic war dates are covered, the bulk of this book is more about the gross-factor of trench life, like weapons, food, pests, entertainment, barbed wire, rules and, of course, toilets. Complete with color cartoons, correspondence and quizzes, Horrible Histories Handbooks: Trenches makes one serious aspect of war a little easier to get close to and understand.
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Survivors! True Death-Defying Escapes
"Before Jon saw the cougar, before he smelled its steamy breath or felt its teeth pierce his scalp, he heard the cat coming. At first he thought it was the sound of his jacket scraping against his backpack, or perhaps the clang of the bicycle chain as he pedaled down the road. But no, the sound was too rhythmical, too steady, to be either one. Like fingers drumming on a tabletop, he heard the click of the cat's claw on the pavement. Then, just as Jon sensed danger, the cat pounced. Though Jon is a big man, the cougar managed to knock him off his bicycle and throw him to the ground. Before he could react, the cougar had its jaws locked over his skull."
Survivors! True Death-Defying Escapes by Larry Verstraete hasn't won a bunch of book awards for no reason. Written as short (but true!) stories, you'll learn that danger really lurks everywhere: from tornadoes to rattlesnake bites to erupting volcanoes. The chapter called Stranded is the true story of Carolina Pedro, who survived a devastating flood in the country of Mozambique while clinging to a tree for four days. But that's not the end of it. Pregnant and alone, Carolina actually gave birth to her child during her harrowing ordeal! And then there's Trapped, about a family from North Dakota that woke up to find that a tanker car carrying toxic liquid had crashed into their home.
The descriptions in this book are dramatic and could be a little too much for worrywarts and easily grossed out people (but we're sure YOU can handle it). Plus, at the end of each chapter, you'll find handy survival tips that give you advice on how to avoid a shark attack, control bleeding, survive hypothermia, etc.
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At The Edge: Daring Acts In Desperate Times
At The Edge: Daring Acts In Desperate Times by Larry Verstraete features a pretty creepy barbed-wire-bound cover - a good choice, we thought, for a book of 20 true stories where people had to make wrenching choices in life-threatening situations. Check out this sample from the book:
"The subway station at 137th Street and Broadway in New York City was busy as usual. It was just before 12:45 p.m., and people were milling around the platform. Most were strangers to each other. Many were in a rush. Twenty-year-old Cameron Hollopeter, a New York Film Academy student, was there, just another face in the crowd, waiting along with everyone else. So was Wesley Autrey, a fifty-year old construction worker. He was on the platform with his daughters Syshe and Shuqui, waiting for the train that would shuttle the girls home to their mother before Wesley headed off to his night-shift job. Just before the No. 1 train was scheduled to arrive, Cameron had a seizure. Without warning, the nerve cells in part of his brain misfired, shooting impulses through his body that caused his muscles to spasm. He collapsed on the platform, arms thrashing and legs jerking uncontrollably. Wesley saw Cameron go down and rushed to help. Two women joined him. While they tended to Cameron, Wesley raced across the station to call for help. By the time he returned, Cameron seemed better. The young man had staggered to his feet, but he was unsteady, weaving across the platform, teetering dangerously close to the edge. Then, in front of Wesley and dozens of other horrified witnesses, he toppled off, falling on the subway tracks just as the headlights of the No. 1 train appeared. Time seemed to stand still for Wesley. He had a split second to make his decision: stand on the platform with his young daughters at his side and watch disaster unfold, or risk his own life and do something to help the young man ... ">/i>
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Crazy Canadian Trivia
Even if you're not Canadian, Crazy Canadian Trivia by Pat Hancock is just that - crazy! (And Canadian!). It's 124 pages jam-packed with some of the strangest, wackiest and littlest-known facts around about Canada. For example:
- Know where in Canada Mosquito Appreciation Day is celebrated?
- Ever heard of the day Niagara Falls stopped falling?
- Did you know there are no skunks in Newfoundland?
- Did you know Canadians spend more time talking on the phone than people in any other country?
- Did you know the word cyberspace was coined by a Canadian?
Now that you know those things, don't you want to learn more? We do! Pick up this fun and informative look at all the things that make Canada unique, if just a little bit weird.
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