What’s Your Blood Type?

In Chapter 8 (“Chicken Feet, Pig Ears, and Duck Blood”), I wrote:
blood drop

Some kids get all panicky about blood. Goon is one of them. The slightest scratch makes her start squealing like she’s going to croak in about three seconds. Bleeding doesn’t bother me. At my last checkup, I actually asked my pediatrician how much blood you’d have to lose before you’d die. He said it’s a lot. No one bleeds to death from little scratches and scrapes. Then he told me I have B+ (bee-positive) type blood. When Goon found out her type was A+, she started bragging hers was A-plus, and that she got a better grade.

Of course Goon was wrong. But once I started thinking about different blood types, I got really curious. I knew that there are four different blood types: A, B, O, and AB (if you include the + and -, there are eight, but I’m keeping it simple). And I found out you inherit your blood type from your parents.

So I asked my dad what his blood type is. He told me it’s O.

So I became a blood detective. Here’s what I knew:

  1. Dad = O
  2. Goon = A
  3. Me = B

With that info and the chart below, I was able to accurately guess my mother’s blood type. Can you figure it out?

Blood type chart with Mother's Blood Type and Father's blood type labeling the rows and columns, resulting in 16 possible "Child's Blood Type"s

Please let me know your answer by commenting below.

Granpa told me he used to sing a song about blood types (weird, huh?) when he was a kid. I said, “No way!,” so he went into our basement and found a copy of an ancient record (made in 1948!) and played it for me on an ancient record player. Here are the words and how it starts:

[[ I will insert a sound file here as soon as I can transfer it from the ancient record ]]

Close your eyes and point your finger,
On the map just let it linger —
Any place you point your finger to,
There’s someone with the same type blood as you!

England, China or Alaska,
Mexico or Madagascar,
Indonesia, Ireland or Peru —
There’s someone with the same type blood as you!

No type of blood is better,
No type of blood is best,
Each type of blood is just as good —
No better than the rest!

So that proves Goon’s A+ is no better than my B+!

HA!

 

[These lyrics and image were copied from the original record sleeve.]
Words: Hy Zaret
Music : Lou Singer
© 1947 Oliver Music & Argosy Music (ASCAP)

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Comments from my Readers & Friends

  1. You got the second half right. And part of the first part. I’m in school to become a teacher. Read the third and fourth books, loved them, hope to read them all. and hope to bring them into my own classrooms one day. (But how do you know where I’m from?)

    1. My website software can tell what area of the world a comment comes from. It’s not always accurate, however. Your comment points to eastern Connecticut.

  2. Blood is definitely awesome stuff. Not only is it good for grossing people out (I love to freak people out with bloody stuff) but it saves lives (I donated blood once, ironically on December 7th. Guess it was my way of remembering the blood shed 75 years prior. Pun intended.)

    1. The detective in me now has a suspicion you are not a kid because I asked my Mom, and she said kids are NOT allowed to donate blood (except for themselves, if they are having surgery or something). Are you a teacher in Connecticut?

    1. HE IS NOT THE REAL GEORGIE SINKOFF. Do not be fooled by imitations.
      I am the real deal.

  3. I wonder why you have different blood types if they are all good? Do you know Cheese? P.S. I love your books:)

  4. The answer must be AB+ because the O+ blood type doesn’t change anything unless the person you’re married to is an O+ too. Am I right, Cheesie?

  5. I think the answer is AB. Pls correct me if I’m wrong.

    My blood type is O+.

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