A.

1. There’s an abandoned cruise ship loaded with crazed, cannibal rats drifting around somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Beware!
2. A banyan tree in Pakistan was put under arrest by a British army officer in 1898 and is still in chains today. Pardon, anyone?
3. It’s illegal to chew gum in Singapore.

B.

1. Ben Franklin wrote a treatise on why scientists should try to find a way to make farts smell better.
2. Dog Island is an island oasis dedicated to letting dogs live out their wilder natures, undisturbed by humans. Be free, Fifi.
3. There’s an annual festival in Spain centered around throwing tomatoes at people. Food fight!

C.

1. The oldest known dental fillings date back to between 12,740 and 13,000 years ago, and they were filled with, essentially, tar. Ew.
2. It’s illegal to own a pet turtle in Iceland, and 1 in 10 children there grow up to become authors.
3. I was once trapped in an elevator, alone, overnight. Scary!

 
If you don’t know all of the answers, go do some research and see if you can figure them out! But be careful… things might not always be what they seem at first glance, and truth often is stranger than fiction.
For even more trivia fun, check out this post from MentalFloss on National Trivia Day last year. I especially love the one about Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. (I’m a huge fan of their new Urban Bourbon flavor!)
If you enjoyed these true (and not so true) trivia facts for National Trivia Day, or want to check your answers, make sure to check out the book: Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries!
Do you have any favorite trivia tidbits? Please post them in the comments below (and be sure to warn us if they might not be 100% true)!

• June 19: Brilliant fantasy author (and dear friend) Janet Lee Carey hosted us on her blog, Library Lions Roar, with a fun interview plus a video (which is only slightly cringe-worthy). 😉
• June 20: Heidi Grange posted a lovely review of Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries on Geo Librarian.
• June 21: Beth posted her thoughts about the timeliness and relevance of the book on A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust.
• June 21: Ammi-Joan and I shared some ideas for how parents can talk to their kids about information literacy and the importance of knowing the truth on Medium at Roadmap to Reality: Helping Kids Find Their Way in a World of Fake News.
• June 26: This was release day, so it’s only appropriate that it was the featured title on The Official Tumblr of Walden Media.
• June 26: Nicole gave it a rave review on Bluestocking Thinking.
• June 27: Kellee gives a glowing review, shares some sneak peeks at the content, and even offers some read-alikes in her post on Unleashing Readers.
• June 27: Ammi-Joan and I teamed up for a post on the Nerdy Book Club blog about incorporating summer reading into all kinds of family activities.
• June 27: Kirsti Call shares her review (including a nice endorsement from her 7‑year-old son!) over at Writers Rumpus.
• June 28: Kristen posted her short-but-sweet review on The Book Monsters.
• June 29: Mia Wenjen posted her honest review on her blog at Pragmatic Mom.

Many, many thanks to the hard-working bloggers who help share the book love and get the word out to book buyers and readers! Also, thank you yet again to the excellent folks at Walden Pond Press who put this event together. xoxo
You can find out more about the book and grab your copy here or here.

This is the window display that greeted us when we arrived at Brick and Mortar Books! So nice!!

They had loads of books ready for sale!

The signing line starts to form.

Fun signing books!

Signing line in progress.

Brick and Mortar even had a full end cap display!

What a great day! A huge thank you to Brick and Mortar Books for being such an amazing host and to everyone who was able to make it. Brick and Mortar Books still has signed copies of all of the books, so feel free to stop in if you need any for your collection! =D

Reviews:
“With the phrase ‘fake news’ being tossed around a great deal these days, this collection of stories in which one out of every three is a lie is both timely and entertaining…. Readers with a taste for trivia and the strange-but-true aspects of geography and history will find much to enjoy.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Even dyed-in-the-wool skeptics will be hard put to spot the ringers: footprints embedded in sandstone on the roof of Kentucky’s Mammoth Caves, dental fillings more than 12,000 years old, or a trove of lead tiles embedded with ancient Roman curses? Along with suggestions for side projects and discussions, the authors offer fact lists containing one false factoid as extra challenges to readers’ credulity. Happily, the back matter includes explanations that identify the baloney, as well as a savvy guide to evaluating information sources.” —Booklist

Signed copies are available from Brick and Mortar Books!