Literary Heroines - literally!

Could this be the way forward when it comes to teaching the classics of English literature?

Match Wits with the Kids - feeling the love

Match Wits with the Kids has been out for two and a half years now (can it really be that long?), but it's nice to know that it's still feeling the love. Here are just some of the reviews the book has received since publication:

Though based on the yawn-making "Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum", this jolly compendium will enlighten all who dip in. It defines the terms used by fancy-pants reviewers (denouement, oxymoron, Zeitgeist), encourages glee at algebraic equations ("Amazing, isn't it?"), explains why snot is green (the digestive enzymes that attack bacteria contain ferrous compounds), chants the list-of-monarchs rhyme quoted by Alan Bennett in Forty Years On: "Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee...", tells us what the Spanish is for "Where is the toilet?" and translates mea culpa: "'My fault' or 'Whoops!'" Green deserves 10/10. - The Independent

We don’t usually use Lovereading4kids to tell parents about a book that is perfect for you the parent this summer, but with this one we couldn’t resist. However, we also feel that kids who want to stay one step ahead of their parents will love this as well!! A fun and enjoyable way to catch up on your learning, relive your schooldays and gen up on the topics kids are learning. Packed full of fun facts and tests for all the family, it’s a great way to hone your general knowledge and keep one step ahead of those smart-alec children or those know-it-all grown-ups. - Lovereading4kids.co.uk

Match Wits with the Kids is a book that’s as engaging as it is fun as it is imperative throughout those aforementioned weekends and really long, giddy car journeys. To be sure, it would even work a treat amid yer (not spelt correctly) average pub quiz. - David Marx

And of course the information contained within Match Wits with the Kids is still as relevant as it was when it was published, so if you need the Key Stage 3 curriculum explained - or just want to brush up on your general knowledge - then pick up a copy for you or a loved one today!

At the back of the book you'll find a number of tests to help you revise the information contained within. And you can download some additional tests, for free, from here.

Educationalists and politicians and anyone who has ever enjoyed a book, a play, a gallery exhibition or anything of any artistic value whatsoever...

.... take note!

Let's make Ebenezer's Carol No.1 this Christmas!

The plan:

To get Ebenezer's Carol, by The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, to No. 1 in time for Christmas. A proper steampunk Christmas song for Christmas No. 1!

What we need to do to achieve this:

1) For Ebenezer's Carol to chart it needs to sell roughly 8,000 copies. The single needs be downloaded as a single, and not as part of the A Very Steampunk Christmas EP. It's available now from iTunes, eMusic and Amazon.

2) So, forward this message to all your friends (be they steampunks or otherwise) but remind them that they must buy the song by itself for it to get into the singles chart.

3) Blog about this, post a link on your Facebook page, Tweet about it, but most importantly - buy the single Ebenezer's Carol!

4) Arrange events themed around this, call the local press, use your contacts - whatever you've got - and we could really make this happen!

This is a chance for steampunk fans to really make themselves heard and make a difference for the future of Christmas. The fate of Ebenezer's Carol and Christmas music itself is in your hands! Let's make Christmas 2010 a Very Merry Steampunk Christmas!

Match Wits with the Kids - new review

I was delighted to stumble across this review of Match Wits with the Kids on the Internet the other day. It's written by a Maths specialist and, as a result, I found what the reviewer had to say especially pleasing.

This book is subtitled “a little learning for all the family” which is an incredible understatement. This book is just packed with interesting information about a variety of subjects - not just Mathematics but also English, Science, History, Geography, MFL, Classics - and even some tests to keep the reader on their toes.

In just 50 pages of mathematics the reader is transported along a journey from numbers through tables, negatives, indices, fractions, decimals, percentages, Fibonacci, algebra, angles, symmetry, triangles, pythagoras, quadrilaterals, polygons, circles, 3D shapes, co-ordinates, statistics and finally probability. The style is gripping, fun and very informative. It is hard to put down - but also manages to be a book that a minutes reading leaves the reader bursting with new facts and information.

This is a wonderful reference book for all the family - perhaps especially useful for parents worried their children know more than they do! I can’t judge the other subjects (though I’m hooked and mesmerised by the other chapters) but mathematically I can find no fault - the material would cover most of the content of the Key Stage Three syllabus. This is an excellent book - one that no family should be without.

To read the review at the Association of Teachers of Mathematics website, click here.

And while we're at it there's also this one at Suite101.com.

Experienced teacher and author Jonathon Green has written the perfect companion for parents who wish to brush up on their general knowledge. Match Wits with the Kids (Icon, 2008) contains 392 pages of charts, maps, formulae, diagrams, tables, information and practice tests to revise the important facts across nine subject areas...

In the years between attending school and parenting a school-aged child many facts and details well-known during school years go astray. Now is the perfect time to brush up on some basic general knowledge, if for no other reason than to assist children with their homework and improve results at the next trivia night or general knowledge quiz show.

Get in touch!

You can now email me direct with any queries or comments about my books or my blogs at

info@jonathangreenauthor.com

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Everything you learned at school was wrong

School, eh? In between all the smoking behind bike sheds, giving little Tommy a wedgie and kicking a football onto the roof, occasionally you had to learn a few things.

And some of these things even stay with you after you leave school and go out into the wider world. Trouble is, it turns out they were filling your head with some right old nonsense.

Here ten such myths - broken down into subject area - that have been drilled into generations of wide-eyed boys and girls are well and truly busted!

Of course, Match Wits with the Kids has already busted many of these myths. You can pick up your copy of this WHSmith bestseller here.