Keke Palmer in Rags

Keke Palmer Rags Interview

Did you guys catch the Nickelodeon movie Rags this week? Rags is a modern-day fairy tale starring Keke Palmer as Kadee Worth and Max Schneider as Charlie Prince. The movie is a modern New York City version of the classic Cinderella story. Charlie Prince is an orphan living with his mean stepfather and spoiled stepbrothers. Charlie's dream is to be a singer, and while he is vocally talented and can write music, he can't seem to catch a break. Kadee Worth, on the other hand, is the daughter of music mogul Reginald Worth and is an international pop phenomenon. While the world knows her as a glamorous superstar, she is secretly frustrated with singing other people's songs and wearing clothes other people choose for her. Kadee wants the world to hear and see her true talent.

Despite every obstacle that gets thrown in their way, once Charlie and Kadee find one another, they each finally get what they have been looking for – a voice, a stage, an audience, and each other. And they live happily ever after. . .

We interviewed Keke Palmer to get her take on the new rags to riches story.

Fairest of All Snow White Story

Whatever After: Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski

Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel. Spin-offs of classic fairy tales have always been a popular topic for modern authors. Sarah Mlynowski's Whatever After: Fairest of All takes on the classic tale of Snow White, and it is certainly a different story from the Disney version.

Book Title Word Scramble

Book Title Word Scramble Game

We've got a scrambled word game for you this week! I've scrambled the titles of 10 books. Now it's your turn to un-jumble them. Leave the correct titles in the Comments. Here's a hint: All of the books have appeared recently in the Ink Splot 26 Reads category.

Chocolate Trivia Quiz Answers

PianoGirl6 inspired last week's Chocolate Trivia Quiz, saying, "No one has truly lived until he or she has eaten chocolate." I can honestly say that I eat some form of chocolate every day. I love it very, very, very, very, very, very much. 

Here are the answers to last week's Chocolate Trivia Quiz.

1. Cocoa was first consumed as a drink by which group of people? A) Eskimos B) Ancient Egyptians C) Ancient Mayans D) American Puritans ANSWER: C) Ancient Mayans. 
2. Cocoa was first turned into chocolate bars by which person? A) John Cadbury B) Milton Snavely Hershey C) Jimmy J. Snickers ANSWER: A) Cadbury. Have you heard of the Cadbury candy company? Yep, the same guy.
3. True or False: Cocoa grows on trees. ANSWER: True. Cocoa beans do grown on trees. They are then roasted and processed into cocoa powder and then into chocolate.
4. Which continent now produces the most cocoa for making chocolate? A) Africa B) North America C) Australia D) Antarctica ANSWER: Africa
5. What is "Fair Trade" chocolate? ANSWER: Fair Trade certification strictly prohibits slave and child labor. Sadly, there are parts of the world where cocoa beans are picked by child slaves. Buying "Fair Trade" is the only way to ensure that your chocolate was not picked by a slave.
6. Who would win? Chocolate vs. Bacon? ANSWER: Chocolate. Although, I did once try a chocolate bar with bacon bits in it. I know it sounds kind of gross, but it was surprisingly good!
7. Who would win? Chocolate vs. Greg Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid? ANSWER: Chocolate every time. Greg doesn't stand a chance.
8. Who would win? Chocolate vs. Summer vacation? ANSWER: Chocolate. Summer vacation is awesome, but I would rather have hot chocolate in winter than summer vacation with no chocolate!
9. Who would win? Dark chocolate vs. White chocolate ANSWER: Dark chocolate. The darker the better! My favorite is 70%. It has more cocoa (a.k.a. chocolaty goodness), less sugar, and is healthier than both milk chocolate and white chocolate. 
10. What is your favorite way to eat chocolate? ANSWER: 2 words - Fudge Brownie

What are some of your random favorite things, either food-related or not? Let me know in the Comments. Maybe I'll make a random trivia quiz about some of YOUR favorites!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

 

Writing Prompt: Fly OR Become an Animal?

Writing Prompt: Fly OR Become an Animal?

Life is all about choices. Will I bring peanut butter or turkey in my lunch? Do I choose the minty toothpaste or the blue gel toothpaste? Well this week's Write On Writing Prompt from PuffinEagle3 presents us with another difficult choice:

Would you rather be able to fly or become an animal??

That's a tough one! Can I choose to be a bird so I can do both, or is that not allowed? I wonder what most people would choose. Let PuffinEagle3 and the rest of us know what YOU would choose in the Comments below.

— Ratha, STACKS Writer

Diggy Simmons Interview

DIGGY SIMMONS, Run-D.M.C. progeny

Diggy Simmons is the 17-year-old son of the famous rapper "Run" from Run-D.M.C. When he was 14, Diggy decided to start working on his own music, and has now released his first album. Our own Marie Morreale got to talk with him about his music, his goals, and what it's like to be rap royalty.

Wolves of the Beyond Sneak Peek

If you are a fan of Guardians of Ga'Hoole, have you read the Wolves of the Beyond series also by Kathryn Lasky? Book #5 Spirit Wolf has just come out, and we have a sneak peek to show you!

Wolves of the Beyond: Spirit Wolf by Kathryn Lasky
No one ever saw Faolan as a leader. Banished as a pup, he survived and returned as a gnaw wolf—the lowest member of the wolf pack. But Faolan wasn’t meant to be a gnaw wolf. It’s not just his strange, splayed paw, or his uncanny connection with the bears. There’s something about Faolan that inspires certain wolves...and leaves others deeply suspicious. Now, with a dangerous threat on the horizon, the pack must make a choice. Will they trust the silver outsider with the task of leading the battle? If Faolan can’t fulfill his destiny, it could be the end of the wolves of the Beyond.
Read the first chapter.

What do you think? Are you a fan of this series? Will you be reading Book #5? Let us know in the Comments.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Chocolate Trivia Quiz

You may remember I wrote a Random Bacon Quiz a few weeks ago. Well, in the Comments, PianoGirl6 suggested a Chocolate Quiz, saying, "No one has truly lived until he or she has eaten chocolate." I TOTALLY agree! Oh my goodness, I love the cocoa confection called chocolate! I know some people don't like chocolate. I respect that. I don't really understand it, but I respect it. So whether you think chocolate is pointless, or you can't go a day without it, take our quiz to see how much you know. . . 

1. Cocoa was first consumed as a drink by which group of people? A) Eskimos B) Ancient Egyptians C) Ancient Mayans D) American Puritans
2. Cocoa was first turned into chocolate bars by which person? A) John Cadbury B) Milton Snavely Hershey C) Jimmy J. Snickers
3. True or False: Cocoa grows on trees.
4. Which continent now produces the most cocoa for making chocolate? A) Africa B) North America C) Australia D) Antarctica
5. What is "Fair Trade" chocolate?
6. Who would win? Chocolate vs. Bacon?
7. Who would win? Chocolate vs. Greg Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid?
8. Who would win? Chocolate vs. Summer vacation?
9. Who would win? Dark chocolate vs. White chocolate
10. What is your favorite way to eat chocolate?

The last question will obviously require lots of research, extensive scientific taste tests, and some serious, soul searching reflection. I'm going to go get started on that right now! Leave your answers in the Comments, and click here for the official answers.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Color Blindness Quiz Answers

Color Blindness Trivia Quiz Answers

Last week I posted a Quiz on Color Blindness. How did you do? Were you able to decipher the color blind test image? Check out below for the official answers.

1. What letter or number is shown in the circle?
   ANSWER: 29. If you're color blind, the circle might look like this.
2. TRUE or FALSE. If you're color blind, you can't see any colors at all. 
   ANSWER: FALSE. In most color blind cases, a person can't distinguish between red and green, and thinks they are the same color. A less common type of color blindness involves blue and yellow. Total color blindness (called achromatoposia) is very rare.
3. Who is more likely to be color blind, men or women? 
   ANSWER: Men. 7 in 100 men are color blind. Only 1 in 1,000 women are color blind.
4. Name a job that requires you NOT be color blind. 
   ANSWER: Police Officer, Firefighter, Airline Pilot. You must be able to see colors to have these jobs. 
5. Are bees color blind? 
   ANSWER: No! Bees and most insects see colors in ultraviolet. To a bee, a daisy flower is a center with a ring of glowing bright dots around it. No wonder they are attracted to brightly colored flowers!  
6. If you're color blind, how many color hues are you able to see? A. 0 B. 3 C. 20 D. 50
   ANSWER: C. Color blind people can see only about 20 color hues, while other people can see about 100 hues.  
7. Name the cure for color blindness.
   ANSWER: Trick question! There is no cure. But color blind people live just as healthy, happy lives as anybody. And they have a cool, hidden fact about them that they are color blind.  
8. How can a color blind person tell if a traffic light is red or green? 
   ANSWER: Color blind people are brilliant at figuring out other ways to deal with colors. For example, they know that the red light is always on top of the traffic light, so even though it doesn't look red to them, they can still see that it is lit, and they know to stop. The green light is always on the bottom. Genius!
9. If a woman is color blind, will all her sons be color blind? 
   ANSWER: Yes! The color blind gene is carried on the X chromosome. Because a boy has the chromosome combo of XY, he will definitely have the color blind chromosome from his mom. A girl has the XX combination. So she will have a chance to draw from the non-color blind X chromosome from her dad.

Are you color blind, or do you know anyone who is? Drop a line and let us know your thoughts in the Comments below!

— Ratha, STACKS Writer

Writing Prompt: Fill it Up!

Writing Prompt: Fill it Up!

This week's Writing Prompt comes to us from Lordofawesomeness (AWESOME screen name by the way) who asks an equally awesome question:

If you could fill up a jar with anything you like, what would those items be?

My first thought was chocolate. But then I realized if I filled the jar with $100 bills . . . I could buy lots and lots of chocolate!

What about you guys? What would fill up YOUR jar? Let Lordofawesomeness know, in the Comments below.

— Ratha, STACKS Writer

Rachel Crow Interview

RACHEL CROW

Did you see Rachel Crow on X Factor last season? She was only 13 years old but she blew Simon Cowell away. Now she's 14 and is working on her very own album with Columbia Records, and she has a guest starring role on Fred: The Show on Nickelodeon. Read on to find out more about this amazing talent!

Q: Tell us about your new role on Fred.

New Hall of Horrors Book by R.L. Stine

Goosebumps Hall of Horrors 

Many of you have been scared, spooked, and terrified from reading Goosebumps books. The newest book from the Hall of Horrors series is no exception. It’s called The Birthday Party of No Return! and it will definitely give you a scare! 

In this book, Lee Hargrove wishes he could be lucky like his friend, Cory Duckworth. Cory has to be the luckiest kid on the planet. All Lee wants is to get a scholarship to Summer Sports Camp, but he's competing against Cory. Then Lee receives a good luck charm in the mail and his life seems to change immediately . . . until bad things start to happen.

R. L. Stine always comes up with spine-tingling titles that are sure to catch the attention of readers. A book title is very important to R.L. Stine, and the first thing he does when writing a new book is to create the title.

Can you make up a title that would give readers the chills? Create your own Goosebumps title and post it in the Comments. Don’t forget to make it extra spooky!

—Vanessa, Scholastic Staffer