Ask Me Anything! Strange But True Answers to 99 Wacky Questions. Marg Meikle. Markham, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2004. 150 pp., pbk., $7.99. ISBN 0-439-98909-4. Subject Heading: Questions and answers-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-7 / Ages 9-12. Review by Julie Chychota. ***1/2 /4

excerpt:

34. What percentage of kids are allergic to peanut butter?

Peanut and other nut allergies affect about 1% of the population. Unfortunately, the peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies. It can be very serious, but up to 25% of peanut allergy sufferers grow out of it as adults, so re-testing is recommended.

You may have heard at school about kids who are allergic to peanuts, so you don't take peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. It goes further than that - if someone is severely allergic, even a tiny trace (1/44,000 of a peanut) can give them hives or make it hard for them to breathe. It is really difficult but absolutely necessary for these people to avoid peanuts, so you are being socially responsible by not including PB and J in your lunch.

This book ought to come with a label that reads "Caution: highly addictive." While Marg Meikle has written at least seven other books, Ask Me Anything! is her third book of answers to "wacky questions" that will feed the habit of information junkies of any age, although it is marketed specifically for children. Her insatiable need to know and her knack of unearthing answers have earned Meikle the nickname of "The Answer Lady."

     From the get-go, Ask Me Anything! exudes appeal. The cover's glossy smoothness is delightful to touch while its psychedelic design is eye-catching. A study in contrasts, the design balances cool colors against warm in its hues of coral, lime green, gold, and indigo. Furthermore, the background of gold and green swirls and ripples offsets the geometrical pattern of the coral rhomboids that appear suspended overtop. Essentially, the cover acts as a visual metaphor for the way Meikle imposes structure on the wash of information she channels to readers. Inside, the visual appeal continues. Whimsical illustrations by Tina Holdcroft begin each section's title page and appear at regular intervals every two or three pages.

     A quick glance at the Table of Contents reveals that the 99 sets of questions and answers are grouped, chapter-like, under ten headings such as "Who Invented the Peace Symbol? and Other Intriguing Facts About Inventions." The sections range anywhere from eight to thirty pages in length and may contain as few as four questions or as many as twenty. The largest category encompasses "useful information," which serves as a catch-all for items as diverse as the 1969 moon landing, vampires, telephone keypads, and the contents of the Queen's purse. Other sections focus on topics that include animals, food, holidays, and superstitions. To break up what could easily turn into a predictable question-and-answer format, the book incorporates sidebars that feature riddles, quotations, and strange facts.

     Very likely, the most challenging aspect about this book was its organization. In a few cases, the questions and answers could easily have fit into more than one category, so that, for example, the question about stirring the Christmas pudding might just as easily have appeared under "holidays," or "customs," although it finds its way into "superstitions." Similarly, the expression "raining cats and dogs," despite its relationship to "animals," appears in the "words and phrases" section. Fortunately, to locate particular references one need only consult the extensive index: with approximately 540 entries in total, that's three or four for every page of text!

     Readers will immediately feel at ease due to the conversational tone that Meikle adopts. Since many of the questions were sent in by "The Answer Lady's" following - individuals like "Katie, Nunavut," "Gabe L., Banff, Alberta," "Jeannette R., St.-Claude, Manitoba" and "Zachary M., e-mail" - Meikle generally responds by using either the second person pronoun "you" or the inclusive third-person "we." With these familiar terms of address, the author extends that personal relationship to readers, in effect, taking them into her confidence. Furthermore, she never "talks down" to her readers; instead, she treats them as her intellectual equals.

     Clearly, Meikle revels in her ability to research answers to questions that range from the unusual, such as "What is the longest recorded flight of a chicken?" to the obscure, such as "What do you call the plastic things on the end of shoelaces?" Not only does she provide answers, but she also puts them into context. For instance, to a query about Siamese twins, Meikle replies that society now favors the term "conjoined twins," but explains that Chang and Eng Bunker, the most famous conjoined twins, were born in Siam, later renamed Thailand. She even manages to squeeze in a few pithy biographical details about the brothers (p. 17-18). By establishing the context (some critics might call this "going off on a tangent"), the author adeptly anticipates and addresses possible contingent questions related to the topics at hand.

     As a result of appropriate transitions and coherence, explanations unfold effortlessly, and connections become clear. Although some of the words in the book may challenge younger individuals, Meikle's tone, style, and the sheer interestingness of the answers should keep them reading. Occasionally, Meikle employs subtle irony to make a point. For example, when discussing beans' reputation as "the musical fruit," she writes: "It may thrill you to know that the average grown-up passes gas around ten times a day" (p. 45). Yet for all her frankness, Meikle is never crude. Nevertheless, the book is infused with her sense of drollery.

     As fresh and invigorating as spring, Ask Me Anything! is sure to please anyone with a natural curiosity about - well, about almost anything! It is an ideal book to keep close at hand, because one can read a question or two at 5 minutes to bedtime, a few pages while waiting at the bus stop, a whole section over lunch hour, or perhaps the entire book in the doctor's waiting room. The young and the young at heart alike will find themselves compelled to learn the origin of shaving, the synonyms for "magic birthday," and the connection between mood rings and the ThighMaster. In short, they will be hooked! And as for why Ask Me Anything! boasts answers to only 99 questions when it actually contains 100 (due to the 92 1/2 that sneaks in), readers have little choice but to wait and see if Meikle's next book contains the answer to that!

Highly Recommended.

Julie Chychota has an M.A. in English from the University of Manitoba. She currently works for the U of M and Red River College.

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

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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