Mind-Boggling Word Puzzles

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Gr. 4-8. Best known for the column "Mathematical Games," which ran in Scientific American for 25 years, puzzle-master Gardner here presents 103 short challenges based on wordplay. Readers must have their wits about them, but most of the conundrums are solvable without a peek at the appended answers (and enjoyable even after peeking). Although most of the puzzles stand alone, many are illustrated with lively, cartoon-style ink drawings, and some depend on clues in the pictures for their solutions. Teachers who want to encourage verbal awareness in their students will find the book an appealing source of good-natured puzzlers that challenge children to think more playfully about language. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Take your brain for a jog around an entertaining collection of wildly clever twisters, illustrated with zany and delightful drawings. Many play with clues that are numbers, letters, or words. Others use tricky visuals to tease the mind. ALL are favorites of a world-renowned puzzle master--and they're tougher than they look, to provide a really enjoyable challenge. Try this one, just to warm up your wits and whet your puzzle-solving appetite:

HIJKLMNO: These letters, when properly understood, stand for a common liquid. Name it.

Or--complete a crossword puzzle by filling blanks with words that mean the opposite of the clues, finish a joke by making up the punch line, and lots more!


Answer:
1. H to O or H2O, the chemical symbol for water--two atoms of hydrogen combined with one atom of oxygen.



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Kids will love this unique collection of more than 100 challenging word problems, palindromes, crossword puzzles, anagrams, fill-in-the-blanks, matching games, visual puzzles, and much more. These entertaining word puzzles offer a great opportunity for youngsters to stimulate their minds and practice important critical thinking skills. In order to successfully solve the mind-boggling exercises in this fun book, kids will need a good sense of humor, a bit of common sense and patience, and a good dose of logic. Organized into seven chapters (Warm-Ups, Family Talk, What Did You Say?, Creatures, Getting It Right, What Do You Have in Mind?, and Toughies), these brainteasers are accompanied by humorous illustrations (many of which provide visual clues) and helpful diagrams. The author, a world-famous puzzle master, also provides a comprehensive answer section. An "About the Author" section and index are also included. Young puzzle fans will treasure this book. Not only will it boggle their minds, but it will also keep them busy for hours (not to mention all of the giggles it will elicit and skills it will strengthen). 2002, Sterling Publishing,


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