Middle Grade Madness! discussion

How It Works:
- Below there are 10 riddles. Each riddle has a 1 word answer which is your clue to find the Easter egg.
- In order to find and collect the Easter egg, you must read a book which relates to the riddle's answer in any of the following ways:
1. The word is the same as a character's name
2. The word is shown as an object on the cover of the book
3. The word is in the title
4. The word is in the series name
5. The word is in the setting name
6. The word is an important object in the plot

- Once you have read the book, you can collect the Easter egg into your basket!

- Feel free to discuss the answers to the riddles, you don't need to use spoiler tags, but if you want to have a go at working out the answers to the riddles by yourself, then please beware as people may discuss the answers below.

Riddle 1
You see me daily in the night
I hang up high and shine so bright
Sometimes I twinkle with delight
But only through squinted sight

Riddle 2
I’m weak, young, and slender, too
But I vary, that is true
I can be old and strong, just for you
To swing on your old tyre through

Riddle 3
I am cotton candy you can’t eat
I move so fast, an amazing feat
Carrying water, isn’t that sweet
To cool you in the summer heat

Riddle 4
When I’m magic, I grow quite tall
Just ask Jack, he’ll tell you all
How I started off so small
What a story to recall!

Riddle 5
I come in every colour, shape, and size
But always the same in children’s eyes
Green, yellow, and purple or pink
A nice crayon scribble valley, don’t you think?

Riddle 6
There’s the oceans, the rivers, and then there’s me
I’m not a gulley, a pond, or a stream
I’m an endless expanse, a wide entity
See my depth? I’m more than I seem

Riddle 7
I’ve got layers, I’ve got sprinkles, I’ve got candles with balloons
There are party poppers popping and my happy little tune
French royals in 1700s would tell you they approve
But they say that you can’t have me if you want to eat me, too!

Riddle 8
I set the scene on a classic Christmas morn
I lay a white blanket on your front lawn
I litter the streets with my unique shapes
I stick where I fall like heavy curtain drapes

Riddle 9
I like sugar cubes and apples to munch
And a light canter after lunch
I’m gentle, but I can kick and buck
So if you’re mean, don’t try your luck!

Riddle 10
I’m sticky and I’m sweet, I’m pretty golden goo
I’m liked by many animals like a bear called Pooh
I’m made by tiny workers buzzing in their home
And a loyal royal queen overseeing from her throne

Bonus Riddle!
First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what’s always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?


(Bonus clue, I did not make this riddle, which you can probably tell by the fact that is much longer and better than mine. It's from a book which is the turning point in a children's classic series)

Right, well there we are! Good luck, everybody! And even if you don't have the time to read any books for this hunt, please do have a go at cracking the riddles!

Any feedback on the riddles and this challenge would be greatly appreciated, it's been a while since we did something new and different.

My responses & reads:

(view spoiler)[✔️ Riddle 1
You see me daily in the night
I hang up high and shine so bright
Sometimes I twinkle with delight
But only through squinted sight
STAR
Book Read: Curse of the Arctic Star by Carolyn Keene (4/11/24)
How It Fits: "Star" in the title

✔️ Riddle 2
I’m weak, young, and slender, too
But I vary, that is true
I can be old and strong, just for you
To swing on your old tyre through
TREE
Book Read: Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine (4/6/24)
How It Fits: Tree on Cover:


Riddle 3
I am cotton candy you can’t eat
I move so fast, an amazing feat
Carrying water, isn’t that sweet
To cool you in the summer heat
CLOUD

Riddle 4
When I’m magic, I grow quite tall
Just ask Jack, he’ll tell you all
How I started off so small
What a story to recall!
BEAN

Riddle 5
I come in every colour, shape, and size
But always the same in children’s eyes
Green, yellow, and purple or pink
A nice crayon scribble valley, don’t you think?
FLOWER

Riddle 6
There’s the oceans, the rivers, and then there’s me
I’m not a gulley, a pond, or a stream
I’m an endless expanse, a wide entity
See my depth? I’m more than I seem
SEA

✔️ Riddle 7
I’ve got layers, I’ve got sprinkles, I’ve got candles with balloons
There are party poppers popping and my happy little tune
French royals in 1700s would tell you they approve
But they say that you can’t have me if you want to eat me, too!
CAKE
Book Read: Katie and the Cupcake Cure: The Graphic Novel by Coco Simon (4/11/24)
How It Fits: "Cake" in the title

Riddle 8
I set the scene on a classic Christmas morn
I lay a white blanket on your front lawn
I litter the streets with my unique shapes
I stick where I fall like heavy curtain drapes
SNOW

Riddle 9
I like sugar cubes and apples to munch
And a light canter after lunch
I’m gentle, but I can kick and buck
So if you’re mean, don’t try your luck!
HORSE

Riddle 10
I’m sticky and I’m sweet, I’m pretty golden goo
I’m liked by many animals like a bear called Pooh
I’m made by tiny workers buzzing in their home
And a loyal royal queen overseeing from her throne
HONEY

Bonus Riddle!
First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what’s always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?
SPIDER (hide spoiler)]

At the end of the month, will you reveal the correct answers?

@D.L I didn’t actually think about that which I probably should have😂 Maybe I’ll reveal them around 15th April? I wouldn’t want someone to read a book thinking it would count and then find out their answer to the riddle was wrong so it wouldn’t count.

Also as more people share what they think the answers are we’ll get a general consensus and then I’ll be able to say what’s right

Kadi wrote: "@D.L I didn’t actually think about that which I probably should have😂 Maybe I’ll reveal them around 15th April? I wouldn’t want someone to read a book thinking it would count and then find out thei..."

Sounds awesome!! This is really a great idea for a challenge :)

Any help on 3? I've had lots of ideas but nothing that fits all of the clues.

Lynn wrote: "Any help on 3? I've had lots of ideas but nothing that fits all of the clues."

I thought maybe (view spoiler)[Tea, like as in sweet ice tea (hide spoiler)] but I am not totally sure.

Love this idea

Lynn wrote: "Any help on 3? I've had lots of ideas but nothing that fits all of the clues."

Maybe lemonade or other cool juice?

D.L. wrote: "This sounds fun!! I think maybe I got some of the first 5 figured out but I'm not totally sure lol

Riddle 1
You see me daily in the night
I hang up high and shine so bright
Sometimes I twinkle wit..."

I think 6 is Sea and 10 is Honey.

Dana wrote: "D.L. wrote: "This sounds fun!! I think maybe I got some of the first 5 figured out but I'm not totally sure lol

Riddle 1
You see me daily in the night
I hang up high and shine so bright
Sometimes ..."

For #6, I thought (view spoiler)[that seeing that 'sea' and ocean are cognate terms, sea would be ruled out already?... So Lake or great lake? Sea would be great, since I'm reading Go Saddle the Sea right now! But, please correct me if I'm wrong, but ocean = sea, right? The 'deep' part just makes me think of 'deep blue sea'..... (hide spoiler)]

Great fun, Kadi! I think I've figured them all except the bonus one - that's tough!

(Edit: got the whole family involved, and we made some headway - got the middle clue, half got the last one BUT in N. American parlance and you should think in British, and were on the wrong tack with the first part, hint: (view spoiler)[it's not Satan or The Devil, aka the Father of Lies (hide spoiler)]. We finally cheated and Googled it. And I guess I haven't read that book..). ;)

EdenB15 wrote: "Love this idea"

Aaw glad you like it Eden!😊

Lynn wrote: "Any help on 3? I've had lots of ideas but nothing that fits all of the clues."

I didn’t realise this one is actually quite difficult. As a little clue I can confirm this one is not a drink of any kind despite line 3 of the riddle

Capn wrote: "For #6, I thought ..."

I love that you got the family involved! That last bonus one actually is hard, even the character in the book didn’t get the answer from the riddle, they half guessed it.
I just checked your shelf and you really haven’t read that book which is quite surprising because it’s very popular. The riddle was my favourite part of that book and it really got me into wordplay and quests.
Ahahha I can’t believe you googled it! Once you know the answer all the lines of the riddle make sense and you’re like oooh of course how did I not get that!

Also for riddle 6, ocean and sea are not the same thing! They’re similar but there are differences between them. After just googling it now I didn’t realise that oceans are bigger than seas but they are still different like an ocean can’t be considered a sea and vice versa. And you’re right (view spoiler)[about the deep part. I put several wordplay clues in there👀 (hide spoiler)]

Kadi wrote: "Capn wrote: "For #6, I thought ..."

I love that you got the family involved! That last bonus one actually is hard, even the character in the book didn’t get the answer from the riddle, they half g..."

Aha, okay! Thanks! :D I'm well on my way to one egg then! XD
(some dull semantics: https://ell.stackexchange.com/questio... and then the geographical terminology: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/o... , in case anyone wanted links) :)

Yeah, I haven't read those books... (view spoiler)[I have seen all the movies, though (hide spoiler)]. ;) I feel like the punishment for not having read them is just. XD

@Capn I think we’ve got our winner already😂 reading the future and starting the book to collect the egg in advance is the kind of dedication I like to see😂👏🏻
I’m just joking but that’s a great coincidence, saves you from having to go search for a book to fit it.

Also I’m the opposite. I’ve read all the books but I haven’t watched all the movies. They do come on tv every Christmas do for some of the movies I haven’t watched them all in one sitting. Although it’s a given, I would say the books are definitely better than the movies just because the plot is so much more intricate and the movies can’t fit it all in. But it is one of the best book adaptations so the movies are pretty great from what I’ve seen.

I do plan on reading them eventually, but they're on the back burner. :) Books are always better than movies.

Yeah, I'm only 53% of the way through, but if I can't count it for the challenge, that's alright. It was a coincidence, not clairvoyance. XD

Dana wrote: "D.L. wrote: "This sounds fun!! I think maybe I got some of the first 5 figured out but I'm not totally sure lol

Riddle 1
You see me daily in the night
I hang up high and shine so bright
Sometimes ..."
Thank you!!

So 3 is not a drink. Hmm. It says you can't eat it in the first line. So does that mean it's not a food at all? I am stumped lol

Can I ask a quick clarification? I think I know the answer, but to be clear:

One of the 'answers' is a word contained within a different word of totally different meaning on the title. A non-spoiler equivalent example would be "has" as an answer but "Chaste" as the title, so Chaste.

Is that alright? Or would it need to be a title like "Capn Has Not Got a Grasp on This"? XD

These are great, Kadi! Thanks! I think I may have all 10, but that last one...stumped!

D.L. wrote: "So 3 is not a drink. Hmm. It says you can't eat it in the first line. So does that mean it's not a food at all? I am stumped lol"

I can give a hint, assuming I've got it right, if you like?

Hint under spoiler tags (if on app, look away):
(view spoiler)[they also provide shade/shadow, and are monochromatic, usually


more?

Anagram of 'could'

Again, assuming I've got this right! (hide spoiler)]

Capn wrote: "I do plan on reading them eventually, but they're on the back burner. :) Books are always better than movies.

Yeah, I'm only 53% of the way through, but if I can't count it for the challenge, that..."

No you can still count that book, don’t worry! Books started before 1st April can count. I’m not so strict on this challenge as the main part of it is to figure out the answers to the riddles and then read a book for them.

If people want to continue the challenge after April that can still count as well.

Kadi wrote: "Capn wrote: "I do plan on reading them eventually, but they're on the back burner. :) Books are always better than movies.

Yeah, I'm only 53% of the way through, but if I can't count it for the ch..."

Excellent - I'll probably need to stretch this out until August, personally! XD

Capn wrote: "Can I ask a quick clarification? I think I know the answer, but to be clear:

One of the 'answers' is a word contained within a different word of totally different meaning on the title. A non-spoil..."

Your first example would not count, your second example would. Although hats off to you because the first example is creative, but sadly doesn’t count.

Only exception is plurals or hyphenated words. For example if the answer to one of the riddles was “potato” (that is not the answer to any of the riddles😂) then a book called “Kadi and her Potatoes” would count.
Or if the word was “knife” then a book called Night of Masks and Knives would count. Knife is also not the answer to any of the riddles, so some free clues there for everyone😂

Capn wrote: "D.L. wrote: "So 3 is not a drink. Hmm. It says you can't eat it in the first line. So does that mean it's not a food at all? I am stumped lol"

I can give a hint, assuming I've got it right, if you..."

@D.L. This is a good and mysterious clue to help you. I believe you’ve got the word correct Capn without actually knowing outright what you think the word is

Capn wrote: "Excellent - I'll probably need to stretch this out until August, personally! XD"

Hahah it’s a good thing I didn’t do 15 riddles then! No but really, no judgment on that, it’s a personal challenge and a bit of fun so everyone please take as much time as you need.
I haven’t started looking for books for it myself but I might give it a go too!

Kadi wrote: "Capn wrote: "Can I ask a quick clarification? I think I know the answer, but to be clear:

One of the 'answers' is a word contained within a different word of totally different meaning on the title..."

Cool, thanks! Yeah, it's the answer to riddle #4 that I'm thinking of. Maybe I've got the solution wrong! I can work it into the suffix of a major global location, and have a title that works, but it would be cheating.

Georgann wrote: "These are great, Kadi! Thanks! I think I may have all 10, but that last one...stumped!"

Aaw thank you, I’m glad you think so!
And if you mean the bonus one then you may have to dig back into your memory if you’ve read the book before…
It’s definitely a tough one, try coming at it literally and line by line. Hope you get it!

Capn wrote: "Cool, thanks! Yeah, it's the answer to riddle #4 that I'm thinking of. Maybe..."

I’m not sure how you could do that for riddle 4 unless my brain just can’t think of an example for that. I think you might have the wrong answer for that one🤔

D.L. wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Any help on 3? I've had lots of ideas but nothing that fits all of the clues."

That sounded like a possibility, but I'm seeing that it's not a drink. Darn

# 10 Honey - The Reason I Married Him by Meghan Quinn 4/1/2024 **** Characters in the story have a honeybee farm and sell the honey in their stores.

#2 Tree - By T.E. Sivec A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire Series) Paperback by T.E. Sivec 4/5/2024 *** A tree on the cover.

#7 Cake - Free Period by Ali Terese 4/5/2024 **** There is a cupcake on the back cover.

#6 Sea - Bridesmaid for Hire by Meghan Quinn 4/8/2024 *** 1/2 Sea on the cover.

#5 Flower - Falling for Gage by Mia Sheridan 4/11/2024 *** 1/2 Flowers on the cover.

Bonus - Spider - Silent Threat by Dana Marton 4/14/2024 *** 1/2 The main character rescues animals. One animal she rescued is a tarantula that lost one of its legs. (Pg. 65)

#3 Cloud - Threat of Danger by Dana Marton 4/16/2024 *** 1/2 On the cover

#9 Horse - Off to the Races by Elsie Silver 4/17/2024 **** Horse on the cover. The story is about a horse ranch.

#8 Snow - Not a Hero by Cherise Sinclair 5/4/2024 *** 1/2 On the cover

#4 bean - Jed Had to Die by Tara Sivec by Tara Sivec 5/5/2024 **** The main character owns a coffee shop called Liquid Crack where she takes beans and makes them into coffee.

#1 star - One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin 6/28/2024 *** In the title.

Kadi wrote: "Capn wrote: "Cool, thanks! Yeah, it's the answer to riddle #4 that I'm thinking of. Maybe..."

I’m not sure how you could do that for riddle 4 unless my brain just can’t think of an example for tha..."

Ha ha ha! Alright then - I think I must be wrong! XD

Well I definitely looked at the spoilers because I’m just too curious and I want to include as much as the prompts as I can into my actual TBR. Or at least finish it! Also everyone is figuring out what Riddle 3 and I knew what it was by the first try. (view spoiler)[ Not me wanting Riddle 9 to be bunny so I can read Bunny by Mona Awad. Also I doubt cupcakes would count Riddle 7 but that’s what I thought at first. (hide spoiler)] Without the help, I got 6 out of 11.

Ilsen wrote: "Well I definitely looked at the spoilers because I’m just too curious and I want to include as much as the prompts as I can into my actual TBR. Or at least finish it! Also everyone is figuring out ..."

Haha this makes me feel as though I’m not crazy for putting that riddle 3 together! Although I do think some of it is misleading if you’ve never heard of that object being described that way before so I get where confusion has come from.

Also you’re not far off on your thoughts for riddle 7 and 9! Close but not quite, definitely in the right vicinity. You probably landed on the right answer after going in that direction.

How did you get on with the bonus riddle? I’m curious to see if anyone actually recognised that one.

That bonus riddle has me stumped. The closest I got is (view spoiler)[ the word condominium. Which I know can’t be right. I guess adults can be scared of condos XD (hide spoiler)] I’m honestly really bad at riddles so it’s a miracle I got those right. After rereading Riddle 7, I can’t believe I didn’t get it the first time especially since my dad says that phrase all the time!! To be fair, I was at work so I was kinda skimming it but yea I didn’t pay close enough attention. Also I think I got Riddle 8 confused. (view spoiler)[ I’m not sure if the right answer is snow or snowflake. I thought of snow as first because of the blanket and it’s the more general term. But the third line leads into something more specific (hide spoiler)]

^^ Riddle 8 I couldn't decide if it was (view spoiler)[snow or snowflake either so I guess I'll try snowflake though it's harder to find a book with that title or category lol (hide spoiler)]

Capn wrote: "D.L. wrote: "So 3 is not a drink. Hmm. It says you can't eat it in the first line. So does that mean it's not a food at all? I am stumped lol"

I can give a hint, assuming I've got it right, if you..."

TY!

Guys Ilsen & D.L. line 3 of riddle 8 is misleading! The plural “shapes” at the end of the line suggests a general collective not an individual object. Hopefully that helps you decide which of the 2 options you’ve both suggested it could be is actually the right one😊

Kadi wrote: "Guys Ilsen & D.L. line 3 of riddle 8 is misleading! The plural “shapes” at the end of the line suggests a general collective not an individual object. Hopefully that helps you decide which of the 2..."

That helps a lot. Thanks!

Thank you Kadi for the clarification! That makes me feel confident with my original answer!

I'm still stuck on #3. Anybody think that #5 could be paper?

Lynn wrote: "I'm still stuck on #3. Anybody think that #5 could be paper?"

That's a good guess. I put down (view spoiler)[rainbow (hide spoiler)] for #5 but now I think I'm changing my mind lol

@D.L @Lynn sadly neither of those are right. Number 5 is a pretty hard one. Think about the specific colours named and how they relate to the last line…

Kadi wrote: "@D.L @Lynn sadly neither of those are right. Number 5 is a pretty hard one. Think about the specific colours named and how they relate to the last line…"

Could it be (view spoiler)[Flower (hide spoiler)]??