________________ CM . . . . Volume V Number 8 . . . . December 11, 1998

cover The Great Canadian Trivia Book 2.

Mark Kearney & Randy Ray.
Toronto, ON: Hounslow Press, 1998.
235 pp., paper, $17.95.
ISBN 0-88882-197-2.

Subject Heading:
Canada-Miscellanea.

Grades 5 and up / Ages 10 and up.
Review by Mary Thomas.

*** /4

excerpt:

'Why was Sir Isaac Brock, hero of the War of 1812, buried four times?' 'Is income from illegal activities taxable in Canada?' 'When were lights first used in Canada for night football games?' 'What is the Canadian connection to the 3-quart milk jug?' 'How do young Canadians become pages at Parliament Hill?'
If you have ever wondered about any of the above questions, this book is for you. And if the answers are sometimes less interesting than the questions, well, therein lies the art of the interrogator who is trying to catch your eye. The Great Canadian Trivia Book 2 is, in fact, a fairly sober compilation of facts in such diverse fields as politics, sports, history, nature, money, show biz, people, and music, given in direct prose which avoids the "gee whizz"-ery of some books of record-holders, for example, and which nearly always cites its sources, whether books or people. This may make the answers a bit less fun than the questions, but they are real answers and, for fact-seekers, this matters more than whimsy. Answers to the questions, some of which have been asked by readers of the first Great Canadian Trivia Book, also by the same authors, are fairly long, usually taking between one and two pages in order to give sufficient detail. You may not have actually asked the question at the top of the page, but, by the end of the page, you know the answer! All in all, it is a satisfying sort of book to pick up, read an entry or two, and then put down to pick up again another day. Great for cottages, bathrooms, and kids with short attention spans!

Recommended.

Mary Thomas, who has worked in elementary school libraries in Winnipeg for nine years, is at present on leave in England with her husband and keeping homesickness at bay by reading Canadian trivia books.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - DECEMBER 11, 1998.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME