My Weird School Fast Facts: Geography

My Weird School Fast Facts

by Dan Gutman, Jim Paillot (Illustrator)

Think fast with A.J. and Andrea from My Weird School! Did you know that Antarctica’s largest land animal is an insect? Did you know that the smallest country in the world is only 0.2 square miles?! Learn more weird-but-true geography facts with A.J. and Andrea from Dan Gutman’s bestselling My Weird School series. This fun series of nonfiction books features hundreds of hysterical facts, plus lots of photos and illustrations. Whether you’re a kid who wants to learn more about geography or simply someone who wants to know if there’s really a town called Scratch Ankle, this is the book for you! With more than 30 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading!

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Geography, History, Education, Chapter Books

176 pages, Hardcover

Published June 21, 2016

About the author

The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."

Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.

Reviews

[Pop Bop · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, How Much Do You Like the "My Weird School" Series?

This book reads just like a report prepared by A.J. and Andrea for their Weird School class. A.J. makes silly jokes, insults Andrea, and generally acts out in A.J. fashion. Andrea soldiers on, tossing the occasional zinger at A.J. but basically trying to deliver a straight report.

If your young reader knows and loves the "My Weird School" series and the A.J. and Andrea characters then this book will probably appeal. It's fact based rather than a school daze adventure, but it has all of the energy and silliness of one of the "My Weird School" books. Because of the heavy emphasis on the A.J. and Andrea interaction, if your reader doesn't know that series then the book might feel a little light as a useful work of non-fiction and the whole vibe might be a bit confusing.

Indeed, my first impression was that the book was awfully light on facts, and mostly just a Weird School variant. And at least for me the unrelentingly smartmouth A.J., (and his "dumbhead" comments), gets old pretty fast. But, as I thought about it and considered the reading audience, (second to third or fourth grade?), I came to see that this book is more clever and informative than I at first gave it credit. We cover the basic science of "Earth", how it was formed, plate techtonics, revolution and rotation, and so on. We discuss different types of rocks, earthquakes and disasters, and of course volcanoes; you always have to have volcanoes. Then we move on to continents and ecological systems. Finally we get to countries, and to facts about all of the states in the U.S. What seems at first blush to be mostly a random and silly mashup of odds and ends actually ends up being a pretty coherent intro to earth science and geography.

Sometimes the need to be silly, and the A.J. and Andrea byplay, overwhelms the info that's being shared, but for the most part the combination of big picture explanation and interesting factoids is informative and engaging. The illustrations are simple line drawings, (supplemented by occasional photos), but they actually work well to complement the info or to amuse the reader.

The upshot is that this book feels silly but actually does a decent job of providing a basic introduction to earth science for young readers. I'm sure there are better, (or at least more serious and thorough), texts about this subject, but for a kid who wants to read some entertaining science-based non-fiction this seems a nice choice.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Robin Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a ARC [Advance Reader’s Copy] for this book through a Goodreads giveaway in return for my honest opinion.

What made this ARC particularly interesting is that it was a FLIP ARC, meaning if you turned the book over you had a second ARC. The second ARC dealt with Sports.

Unless you’re truly interest in knowing facts concerning a specific topic, fact books can be extremely boring to read. This can be especially true when it comes to intended audience of readers, children between the ages of 6 – 10.

Taking two characters, A.J. and Andrea from his My Weird School Series of books Dan Gutman has written a skillfully crafted dialogue in which facts about Geography flow smoothly from one fact into another. The illustrations and photos add to the educational experience for its young readers for which I’ve given this book 5 STARS.

[Janeandjerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geography even an old woman could understand

This was a very fascinating and informative book and there were things in this book I didn't even know or even heard of and I'm over 50 years old...
If you want to learn more about Geography then this is a book that you should pick up and read no matter what your age.

[Mymcbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun book that the kids will love to read.

My Review: A.J. and his gang from My Weird School are back and this time the study of discussion is  geography.



FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book HarperCollins Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.

[Tranylle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a good time reading this to Rowan. Some of it is over his head still, but he was interested in most of it and actually asked to read it quite often. A boy and girl narrate the book, so to keep things straight for him (since the kids had distinct personalities and told jokes) I gave them each a different boice, which he loved. The only issue I had with it is this: at one point my husband was in the room and heard me read something that wasn't what he'd learned on that subject. It is what I'd learned, but not what he'd learned 2 hours away from me at his high school. It's very frustrating that histories and textbooks never teach the same things. How do I know what I'm teaching my children is true? I guess we just research and do our best. I think in a couple years Rowan (6) will be able to enjoy this even more.

[Geordie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A kids' geography book, covering the very basic and a wide variety of strange facts about different places around the world.

The facts are certainly interesting, but the voice in this book is grating. Language is dull, even for a kids book, with the word 'weird' being used 2 or 3 times a page. Information is repeated a lot, and there're frequent mentions of 'people don't know this, but...!' as if the writer were initiating the reader into a secret society, instead of passing on some oddball fact that many adults have, in fact, heard before.

Also, I don't want to throw a parental hissy-fit about setting good examples, but it was infuriating how often the book's characters said dumb, dummy, dum-dum, stupid, or other insults I do NOT want my kid copying.

Certainly some fun trivia, but the writing was lackluster and insulting.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was an adult reading this book and I still learned something new on practically every page. I'm not sure if this is because of my own weak background in learning Geography in the school system I grew up with or if they are just unusual facts that other people would not have heard of either. I will definitely be "selling" this book to my 3rd graders to read. It's written in a fun and engaging way with two of the Weird School characters engaging in a friendly banter between themselves and the audience.

[Jasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot of facts (as well as jokes) about geography in this book. The funny conversations between A.J. and Andrea helped me understand more about this world. As I'm considering having geography as my elective subject next year, I think this book is very helpful too. I also liked the interesting cartoons in the book. I love drawing cartoons and I think the ones in this series are fantastic!

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This interesting book for young readers covers the basics of geography and adds lots of fun facts that should appeal to young readers (and old ones like me). From continents to tornados, from oceans to volcanoes, this book has an approach that will appeal to those who are not even interested in geography. It is steeped in evolution and the theory of a very old earth.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book because it said geography and it said there were only 5 "Stan" countries excluding Pakistan and Afghanistan and also said Greenland was a part of North America, its not. Greenland is a territory of Denmark, a European country. That's not a fact many people know.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and quirky book about geography, told by two kids - one focused more on important facts, while the other one likes to throw in the crazy and bizarre. I read this with my six year old son who is fascinated with geography right now, and he loved it.

[Jennifer Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

WE LOVE THIS AUTHOR. HIS BOOKS ARE SUPER FUNNY AND KEEPS KIDS INTERESTING ON THE MATTER OF DISCUSSION. HE HAS A UNIQUE STYLE OF TEACH KIDS ABOUT HISTORY, POLITICS, SCHOOL SOCIAL STUFFS, NATURE, SCIENCE, ETC.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son won his geography bee last week - he has assigned this fun source 5 stars - books for kids are so good these days!

[Soccer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny enough to get a 5⭐

[Michell Karnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book full of fun facts on the geography of the US.

[Moonshadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just for kids! A fun way to learn about stuff with a smile on your face! Any "My Weird School Fun Facts" i highly recommend for reluctant readers/students.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars
My Weird School Fast Facts: Geography is a fun and educational book that tells kids geographical facts, but in a simple way.

I follow the author on facebook and he is very funny. My niece raves about his Weird School Books, so I mostly got the book for her. But I was also curious. The book is told from the POVs of AJ and Andrea (two characters from the Weird School books). They bicker and they each think the other is boring. But their interactions are fun and I'm sure that most kids would enjoy them as narrators.

The book is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1: What is Geography and Who Cares Anyway? Chapter 2: Planet Earth. Chapter 3: The Continents. Chapter 4: Water. Chapter 5: Mountains, Deserts, and Forests. Chapter 6: The Fifty United States. Chapter 7: Natural Disasters. And lastly The Ending.

The author tries to address different things to do with geography in a kid-friendly way. It is cute. The book explains concepts in the simplest terms that kids can understand. Like for example the earth going around the sun. Or the earth spinning on an axis and how it is day when your part of the earth is facing the sun. The book is very educational.

The book is a way for kids to learn a lot about geography. There is so much information told in such a simple way. I am not sure exactly what age would be too young to grasp the concepts in this book. But my niece is ten and it was just perfect for her.

My least favorite chapter was chapter 6 which talked about the fifty states in the United States. The book went through each state. It wasn't that the facts were bad. But I just found it too long.

Overall, I actually really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot. I originally thought that the book would just be for kids. But adults can definitely learn a lot too.



My 10 year old niece's review:
4.5/5 stars

Dan Gutman is one of my favorite authors so I was excited to read this book. The two narrators, AJ and Andrea, explain very cool geography facts in a very funny way. If you read this book, you will learn about the seven continents, mountains, forests, deserts, lakes/rivers, natural disasters and much more. There is also a chapter where they went through all 50 states of the United States of America, but that was a bit boring.

Mostly all of the facts you learn in this book are things you probably don't know (unless you are a geography expert). I think everyone who reads this book will be very amused (and educated) because it is very funny and you learn a bunch of cool things too!

I also recommend to kids my age Dan Gutman's incredible and (obviously) funny series: My Weird School. It features AJ and Andrea with all of their friends from school. Their school is called: Ella Mentry. Well hope you liked my review.




Thanks to edelweiss and HarperCollins Children for allowing me to read this book.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My junior high students are going to love this book. I'm not a sports fan, but I've had a lot of fun sharing the trivia with my husband. The sign of a good book is that you want to share what you are reading with others. My edition of the book which I received in a Goodreads giveaway has both the sports and geography versions in one book. The kids will enjoy the fact that you read the sports half of the book and then turn the book over and upside down to read the geography book. I understand the books will be part of a series by Dan Gutman. His books are always popular in our school library. I will be ordering hardbound copies of all of them as they are released.

I'm a geography fan so this is what originally drew my attention to the book. What weird facts do I hope to remember from this section of the book?

Great Britain is a group of three countries. The United Kingdom is four countries including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. (p. 43)

The bristlecone pine which is found in California is the world's oldest tree. Its location is kept secret to prevent tourists from damaging the tree. (p. 101)

"Every Chinese Citizen over eleven years old has to plant at least three trees every year." (p. 104)

I loved all of chapter six that lists geography trivia from every state and Washington, D.C. I live in Nevada and didn't know that it was the most mountainous state. (p. 120) I didn't know that Sand Mountain is called the "singing sand dune" because of weird noises caused by the grains of sand rubbing against each other. (p. 120) It's a popular spot for dune buggy racing. I wonder how many of those off-road enthusiasts have heard the sound of the dunes "singing"?

I didn't know that the capital of the United States was moved from New York City to Philadelphia and then to its present location Washington, D.C.

The book contains great illustrations by Jim Paillot and photographs that greatly add to the pleasure of reading both the geography and sports versions of the series. I highly recommend the My Weird School Fast Facts series.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

AJ and Andrea from the hugely popular My Weird School series are here to stuff your heads full of fun facts! The Fast Facts series is just that: loads of factoids, split into subject areas, narrated by My Weird School characters AJ, the attention-loving goof-off, and Andrea, who’s going to run the country one day.

Fast Facts: Geography covers the definition of geography, and starts out big: like, Planet Earth big, with facts about the earth’s rotation and its “imaginary lines”: its axis, the equator, and the international date line. Next, AJ and Andrea tackle the continents; bodies of water; mountains, deserts, and forests; the fifty United States; and finally, AJ’s favorite topic, natural disasters. Each fact is bulleted by a picture of AJ or Andrea, so you can tell who’s talking to you, and the dialogue is loaded with back and forth bantering between the two characters. There are black and white photos and line drawings throughout the book to add to the reader’s interest.

[Ms. Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review...

This book was fantastic! I first read it on my own, then read it to my young daughter and she enjoyed it too. It was humorous, funny, amusing, and a great way for children to learn on a topic of what can be boring. I highly recommend this book!

[Arjun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a version that is combined with another book, My Weird School Fast Facts: Space, Humans, and Farts. This is the boring half of the book where there are a good amount of facts and parts that will entertain you but it is more like you want to skip this part and go to the second half.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 10 year old enjoyed the book. Andrea and Arlo bring up some crazy facts for kids to read about.

[Tanner J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

March
My Weird School Facts: Geography
Dan Gutman

The book geography was mainly about the earth and what it consists of. It gives you facts about the continents, water on Earth, mountains, deserts , and forests, the fifty states, and natural disasters. It helps you understand these things better. They give you fun and crazy facts that you did not know. This book teaches you about the world and gives you interesting facts.

The theme of this book is to keep learning and to always focus. I believe this story has one theme to keep learning because you always need to keep learning knew things (pg. 82). This book really teaches you new stuff you may not have known. Another theme for it is ton always focus. The book teaches you to always focus on what you learn and on what geography is about (pg. 164). The two themes of this story is to keep learning and to always focus.

[Tina Seeborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite informative! It made me want to find out more about some of these locations. If it can do that for an adult, it's probably perfect for school-age kids!

[Christine H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love learning random facts, though I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always remember what I’ve learned. If you’re into geography, sports, or random trivia, you’ll find Dan Gutman’s My Weird School Fast Facts: Geography a very awesome read.

Squinklethoughts

1. Are you already a fan of Gutman’s My Weird School (and My Weirder School and My Weird School Daze) series, which began in 2004? My students love these stories, which are full of memorable characters and funny dialogue. We particularly enjoy their rockin’ rhymin’ titles like Mrs. Yonkers is Bonkers! and Mr. Harrison is Embarrassin’!.

2. In both Geography and Sports, you get to hang out with A.J. and Andrea outside of school. Their very different personalities make for great banter between them. I’d like to think that they are still friends-ish even though they bother the heck out of each other a lot.

3. There were so many places I had already known (like Pangæa and Lake Vostok), but many others that were completely new to me (like Chimborazo and West Quoddy Head). You’ll learn a TON of new geography facts.

4. I particularly enjoyed how Gutman divides each book: Geography has chapters based on various elements like water, the continents, and natural disasters. I really liked the section where he names a few interesting facts about each US state. Makes me want to go on a road trip!

5. Jim Paillot’s artwork is phenomenal. You’ll enjoy the the drawings on each page that help bring Arlo’s and Andrea’s narrations come to life. Definitely check out his website!

This review originally appeared on my blog, Squinklebooks.