Kid Lit Trivia Quiz

Answer: Max

Maurice Sendak is the author of "Where the Wild Things Are". It was published in 1963. The children's book tells the story of Max, who dresses up in his wolf costume and is sent to bed without supper for misbehaving. His room turns into a jungle where he becomes king and plays with all his subjects, i.e., "The Wild Things".

But as with all childhood dreams, they must come to an end. So Max returns home and finds a hot dinner waiting there for him.

Answer: Meg Murry

One of my favorites, "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle is actually a "science fantasy" tome for kids. The book was first published in 1963. In an unusual twist, her hero is a thirteen year old girl named Meg Murry. She is the oldest and has twin brothers and also a five year old brother, Charles Wallace, who is a genius.

This family is swimming at the deep end of the gene pool. Meg's father is a government scientist who goes missing. There is a great deal of talk about a "tesseract", that can best be described as a cube which "folds back the fabric of time" (a wrinkle).

They meet many strange creatures and have scary adventures but, ultimately, they all get their "tesseract" together!

Answer: Peter Hatcher

"Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" is about 9-year-old Peter Hatcher and his little brother Farley, known as Fudge. The book is by the wonderful children's book author Judy Blume and was published in 1972. It seems that two year old Fudge gets away with everything, e.g., throwing tantrums, ruining Peter's homework and swallowing Peter's pet turtle, Dribble. Fudge never gets punished, which drives Peter nuts.

After swallowing Dribble, Fudge is rushed to the hospital. They remove the turtle and Fudge is okay, but Dribble doesn't make it. To make it up to Peter, his parents adopt a dog which Peter names...Turtle!

Answer: Milo

Written by Norton Juster, "The Phantom Tollboth" tells of the adventures of Milo, a young boy who is bored with his toys and his usual activities. All of a sudden, a magic tollbooth appears. Milo drives his toy car through the tollboth and winds up in the Kingdom of Wisdom where he meets Rhyme and Reason.

They all set out to save the exiled princesses and restore the kingdom to its former glory. Wordplay and number sequences are explored in an extraordinary way, teaching Milo some valuable lessons. Juster's fantasy novel was illustrated by the wonderful Jules Feiffer, and was published in 1961.

In my opinion, it is one of the cleverest children's books ever!

Answer: Travis Coates

Just hearing the title of the novel "Old Yeller" can bring tears to my eyes. While the protagonist is Travis Coates, the story is really about a "dingy yellow" dog who winds up at the Coates home uninvited. At first, Travis dislikes the mangy cur, but Old Yeller proves his worth on several occasions by saving the family from danger, e.g., protecting Travis' younger brother Arliss from a bear. Travis grows to love Old Yeller.

When the dog's former owner shows up, he sees the family's devotion and does not reclaim Old Yeller. I will not provide any spoilers here, so you'll have to find out what happens on your own.

The novel, set in the mid-1800s, was written by Fred Gipson and published in 1956.

Answer: Greg Hefley

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid", published in hardcover in 2007, was the first of several "Wimpy Kid" novels by Jeff Kinney. The main character is Greg Heffly, a middle child in middle school. Greg has an older brother, Rodrick, who teases him mercilessly, and a younger brother who seems to be able to 'get away' with everything. Greg's father disapproves of Greg playing video games all day instead of going outside to play. And then there's trying to fit in at school! He and his friend Rowley Jefferson experience the trials and tribulations of being a middle schooler and not really fitting in anywhere. Greg's adventures and misadventures will probably sound familiar to most of us...which is why this series goes on and on.

Answer: Dorothy Gale

If you missed this one, this quiz is probably not for you. L.Frank Baum's iconic novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", was first published in 1900. The protagonist is young Dorothy Gale from Kansas; the moral is timeless. Well, there's this tornado, munchkins, a yellow brick road and "lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!". Dorothy and her dog Toto meet up with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion.

They all head for Emerald City, each looking for something to make them whole. We watch as they defeat misfortune along the way, only to find that they already have what they had been searching for. What a wonderful story for children of all ages!

Answer: Jesse Aarons

Actually, "Bridge to Terabithia" is the story of fifth grader Jesse Aarons and his new friend Leslie Burke. They seem to be polar opposites, i.e., Jess is poor and sad and angry, while Leslie is a tomboy from a wealthy family. They quickly bond because they are both bright and imaginative. To escape the bullies and the rigors of everyday life, they invent Terabithia, their own special kingdom where they are the rulers.

They enter their special land by a rope swing over a creek, and even adopt a puppy named Prince Terrien.

But all does not go well...leading to both great sadness and ultimate triumph. Katherine Paterson authored the novel which was published in 1977.

Answer: Jim Hawkins

"Aargh!" Robert Louis Stevenson gave us the wonderful children's tale of pirates, adventures and sailing ships. He called it "Treasure Island". The novel, published in 1883, started out as serialized articles in Young Folks magazine in 1881 and 1882, under the title "Treasure Island, or the mutiny of the Hispaniola". After discovering some money, a journal and a map in a sea chest, young Jim Hawkins becomes cabin boy on the Hispaniola. In his search for treasure, Jim meets up with Long John Silver (and his talking parrot) and Captain Smollett. They reach their destination but there is mutiny and murder...and treasure.

Answer: Fern Arable

The real stars of E.B. White's delightful 1952 children's story, "Charlotte's Web", are actually Wilbur the pig and his friend, the barn spider, Charlotte. Wilbur starts life as the runt of the litter. He is first owned by John Arable whose daughter Fern adopts him and is responsible for naming him.

Although Fern is human, she has the ability to understand the conversations of the animals (like Dr. Doolittle). Wilbur is eventually sold and destined for slaughter until Charlotte weaves a plot to save him by praising him on her web (this is NOT the worldwide web).

Her praise is looked upon as "divine intervention" and Wilbur's life is spared, but there is a price to be paid.