{"product_id":"alphamaniacs-builders-of-26-wonders-of-the-word-9780763690663","title":"Alphamaniacs: Builders of 26 Wonders of the Word","description":"\u003cb\u003eAre you a word person? A curiosity seeker? An explorer? Take a look at these twenty-six extraordinary individuals for whom love of language is an extreme sport.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStep right up and read the genuine stories of writers so intoxicated by the shapes and sound of language that they collected, dissected, and constructed verbal wonders of the most extraordinary kind. Jean-Dominique Bauby wrote his memoirs by blinking his left eyelid, unable to move the rest of his body. Frederic Cassidy was obsessed with the language of place, and after posing hundreds of questions to folks all over the United States, amassed (among other things) 176 words for dust bunnies. Georges Perec wrote a novel without using the letter \u003ci\u003ee \u003c\/i\u003e(so well that at least one reviewer didn't notice its absence), then followed with a novella in which \u003ci\u003ee \u003c\/i\u003ewas the \u003ci\u003eonly\u003c\/i\u003e vowel. A love letter to all those who love words, language, writing, writers, and stories, \u003ci\u003eAlphamaniacs\u003c\/i\u003e is a stunningly illustrated collection of mini-biographies about the most daring and peculiar of writers and their audacious, courageous, temerarious way with words.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaul Fleischman\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of many books for children, including the Newbery Medal-winning \u003ci\u003eJoyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices\u003c\/i\u003e. With Candlewick Press, he is the author of \u003ci\u003eWeslandia\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Dunderheads\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Matchbox Diary\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eEyes Wide Open\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Monterey, California. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMelissa Sweet\u003c\/b\u003e has illustrated nearly one hundred books for children, including the Caldecott Honor books \u003ci\u003eThe Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams\u003c\/i\u003e. With Candlewick, she is the illustrator of \u003ci\u003eBaabwaa and Wooliam \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eFirefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems.\u003c\/i\u003e Melissa Sweet lives in Rockport, Maine.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Candlewick Studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50461010198802,"sku":"9780763690663","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f87bc299-5e7c-477f-b102-5198b8e4e432.jpg?v=1730051862","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/alphamaniacs-builders-of-26-wonders-of-the-word-9780763690663","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}