Alphamaniacs Builders of 26 Wonders of the Word

Alphamaniacs: Builders of 26 Wonders of the Word is a captivating nonfiction collection for children ages 4-11, showcasing the incredible lives of writers who had an extreme passion for language. Each mini-biography, accompanied by stunning illustrations, highlights a unique individual and their audacious approach to words, whether it's writing an entire novel without a specific letter or compiling vast dictionaries of regionalisms. It's a celebration of creativity, perseverance, and the sheer joy of linguistic exploration, perfect for inspiring young readers and writers.

Are 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. Step 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 e (so well that at least one reviewer didn’t notice its absence), then followed with a novella in which e was the only vowel. A love letter to all those who love words, language, writing, writers, and stories, Alphamaniacs is a stunningly illustrated collection of mini-biographies about the most daring and peculiar of writers and their audacious, courageous, temerarious way with words.