Minion Answers YOUR Questions!

The Megamind DVD comes out on Friday, February 25, and to celebrate, we have an exclusive interview with Megamind's evil sidekick, Minion. A few weeks ago, you asked your questions, and now Minion himself is here to tell his side of the story.

GNOletsgo1 asks: Dear, Minion, do you eat fish food or bananas? Or both? I am curious.
Minion: Heaping portions of both. In fact, I have a killer recipe for a Banana Fish Split. Here it is:

• Step 1: Make a banana split.
• Step 2: Put fish on it.
• Step 3: Eat.

I promise you, tastes EVEN BETTER than it sounds.

R asks: Minion, what do you like to do in your free time?
Minion: As a Minion, I live to serve my master. But even I need my days off. Usually on my own time, I focus on my favorite hobby: Doing volunteer work for my master.

Dewdrop208 asks: Do you ever doubt Megamind when it comes to his harebrained ideas?
Minion: HA! That’s a trick question. Megamind doesn’t have any hair. He's totally bald.

Yoshi asks: Do you ever get lonely?
No, but I once got really homesick – but it's only because I misplaced my gorilla body in the garage.

51dotfeg asks: Do you wish you weren't a fish? Do you wish you were a human? Or a Wizard? A dog? or a mouse?
Minion: I hadn't thought about that before. But now I want to be a wizard fish. . . with a pet dog!

Cutieu123 asks: Do you ever feel underrated, unappreciated, or a fish out of water (excuse the pun, please)? Do you think you deserve more credit like Megamind?
Minion: Well, part of being the sidekick is not getting credit when a plan succeeds. But at least I don't get blamed when a plan goes wrong. . . oh, wait. Yes I do!

StarMagic asks: What does it feel like being a hero/protector in Metro City? Thank you. : )
Minion: It's definitely better than being a villain. Now people throw flowers instead of rotten fruit.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Dream Works Animation

Super Diaper Baby Sequel!

Dav Pilkey fans, this one's for you: the long-awaited sequel to the bestselling novel Super Diaper Baby is almost here, and here is a SUPER sneak preview of the book's cover!

Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers by George Beard and Harold Hutchins (the fourth grade creators of Captain Underpants) will be published on June 28, 2011­­—just in time for summer reading! But that's not all. . . Dav Pilkey created an awesome video showing exactly how he created the book — in a breathtaking, dizzying two and a half minutes!

June 28 may feel very far away, so to pass the time, why not brush up on the world of Harold and George with The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby or The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen From the Future? And of course, you can always read the book that started it all: The Adventures of Captain Underpants.

Saving Zasha

Welcome to Scholastic Booktalks where we recommend brand new Scholastic books that we think you will love. Today's booktalk is: Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow.

It's 1945, and even though World War II has ended, there is still bad blood between Germans and Russians. Many Russians even believe that owning a German Shepherd dog is the same as being a traitor to Russia. If you're caught with a German Shepherd you could be sent to a labor camps and never seen again.

Zodiac Scramble!

What's your sign? This is one question you may have asked your friends, or maybe you occasionally (or obsessively) scope out your horoscope. Based on when we were born, the positions of the stars determine our "sign." For example, I'm a Cancer because I was born on July 2nd. And Cancer falls from June 21st – July 22nd. Until. . . NOW!

According to Paul Kunkle at the Minnesota Planetarium Society, because of the moon's gravitational pull on Earth over time, the alignment of the stars has changed by about a month. This means that everyone's zodiac sign has changed! Mr. Krunkle explained the tilt of the earth's axis. If you watch a spinning toy top, you will see its axis wobble. The earth's axis does the same thing. Over the years though, that wobble has changed. 3000 years ago, the earth used to point to an obscure star named Thuban. Now, it points to Polaris, the North Star. Astronomers say because the earth's alignment is different from where it was 3000 years ago (when the study of astrology began), the zodiac signs are different now.

Captain Underpants Scavenger Hunt Answers

Last week I posted a Scavenger Hunt based on the hilarious Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. Could you find all the answers? Or did it leave you pooped out? (I had to say it!!) Answers are below: 

Create a Caption: Spring Training

Batter up!

Now that the football season has come to an end and Superbowl XLV has finished with a tremendous victory by the Wisconsin Bay Packers, you know what comes next. . .

The NBA Finals? Well yes, but that's not what I am thinking of. I'm talking about MLB (Major League Baseball) spring training. And what comes after that? Baseball season!

So to celebrate the upcoming season of Major League Baseball. . . I give you . . . my aunt posing in a glove!? Yes, you heard right. Just check out the photo below and add your own caption.

Carly's caption: "Steeerike three! You're out!"

— Carly M., Ink Splot 26 Blogger