Inspirations
Two part question: How old was Madeleine L'Engle when she wrote her first story? And how old was Madeleine L'Engle when she started keeping a journal?
1) Five
2) Eight
Where was J. K Rowling when she first thought of Harry Potter and on what did she start writing notes for her first Harry Potter book?
Bonus: What did J.K. Rowling use to write her ideas for the names of the Hogwarts houses while she was on an airplane?
1) On a train that was stalled.
2) A napkin
Bonus: On an air sickness bag
Although Beatrix Potter grew up in London, England, where did she feel most comfortable? And what were the names of the four rabbits in the Tale of Peter Rabbit?
1) In the Scottish countryside
2) Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter
What did J. K. Rowling write about when she was six and who came to cheer up the sick rabbit in J. K. Rowling's story?
1) A rabbit who was sick in bed with the measles
2) Miss Bee
What book did Roald Dahl write about a shy boy who had insects friends? And which one of Roald Dahl's books was his favorite?
Bonus: What did Roald Dahl write story and character notes to use for later?
1) James and the Giant Peach
2) The BFG
Bonus: In his 'Ideas Book'
Which of Beatrix Potter's pets was her favorite and was the inspiration for Peter Rabbit?
A rabbit named Benjamin Bouncer
Bonus: What do people see if they visit Roald Dahl's grave?
1) The moment after a book was finished
2) The title.
Bonus: Giant cement footprints leading to the place where he is buried.
How long did it take from the moment J.K. Rowling had the idea of Harry Potter until it was published? And where did J.K. Rowling finish writing the first Harry Potter book?
Bonus: How many books are in the Harry Potter Series?
1) 7 years
2) Edinburgh, Scotland where she was staying with her sister.
Bonus: 7
What did Ted Geisel like to collect and what was the name of the book he wrote for adults?
And what was Ted Geisel awarded after he died?
1) Funny hats
2) You're Only Old Once.
3) A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Who said "Perhaps all memory is a chance at storytelling and every story brings us closer to revealing ourselves to ourselves?
And who said "Writing is mainly perspiration, not inspiration?"
Bonus: From what book is the line, "Never do anything in halves if you want to get away with it. Be Outrageous. Go the whole hog"?
1) Sandra Cisneros
2) Roald Dahl
3) Matilda
What author inspired Madeleine L'Engle to try acting in high school and what was the name of the scientist who developed the Theory of Relativity?
2) Albert Einstein
What was the name of the scholarly society C.S. Lewis belonged to when he was teaching at Oxford and who is the author of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy?
1) The Inklings
2) J. R. R. Tolkien
Who are the heroes in Gene Luen Yang's mystery comic books and why did Gene Luen Yang want to attack stereotypes through images rather than just text?
1) Computer coders
2) He wanted people to feel it in their gut.
Why was Madeleine L'Engle unpopular in school and what kind of stories did Madeleine L'Engle love to read?
1) She was clumsy and not good at sports
2) Mythology
What was the name of the screenplay Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss) wrote with his wife and what was it about?
1) The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
2) A crazy music teacher and 150 students who wore hats with hands on them.
How old was C.S. Lewis when his mom got sick and died? And who became C.S. Lewis's mentor when he got home from boarding school?
Bonus: What topics did C.S Lewis love when he studied with his mentor?
1) 9
2) William Kirkpatrick
Bonus: Epic poetry and Norse mythology
What kind of kit did Beatrix Potter use to stuff and frame a bat? And what did Beatrix Potter do with her pets when they died?
1) A Taxidermy kit
2) She boiled the bones and put their skeletons back together to study them.
What character did Gene Luen Yang's mother tell him stories about and what did Gene Luen Yang become obsessed with in 5th grade?
Bonus: What did Gene Luen Yang begin to identify with when he was in college?
1) The Chinese Monkey King
2) Comics and superheroes
Bonus: Asian American
Where did Maya Angelou and her brother move to when she was 14 and where did Maya Angelou win a scholarship to study drama and dance?
1) San Francisco, California
2) California Labor School
What did James Baldwin dare Maya Angelou to do and what was the name of that?
1) Publish an autobiography
2) I know Why the Caged Bird Sings (published 1969)
How was the name of C. S. Lewis's older brother and best friend? And what was the name of the magical world C.S. Lewis and his brother made up when they were boys?
1) Warren
2) Boxen
How many Peter Rabbit books did Beatrix Potter self-publish and give away to family and friends? And how many Peter Rabbit stories did Beatrix Potter write over 30 years?
Bonus: What publishing company republished the Tale of Peter Rabbit with black-and-white illustrations?
1) 250
2) 23
3) Warne and Company
Where did a mycologist friend present a scientific paper written by Beatrix Potter because women were not allowed?
And where did Beatrix Potter buy her own farm after she got rich writing Peter Rabbits books?
1) The Linnean Society for natural history and taxonomy.
2) Coniston Lake District of England
Where did Sandra Cisneros teach former high school dropouts and what did Sandra Cisneros attend after college to improve her fiction writing?
1) The Latino Alternative High School in Chicago, IL
2) The Iowa Writer's Workshop
What did Samuel Clemens' gambling friend inspired him to write and why did Samuel Clemens and his brother go to the Nevada territory?
Bonus: What does the term 'mark twain' mean?
1) The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County
2) To mine for silver
Bonus: Waters deep enough for a riverboat to pass through