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Drop Three and Find a Tree

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home.

Challenge from Sept. 11: From listener Michael Shteyman of Baltimore: Name a country somewhere in the world. You can change its first letter to name a well-known island. Or, you can change its third letter to name another well-known island. What country is it?

Answer: Mali... Bali and Maui.

Winner: Dr. Ron Eisenberg from Tiburon, Ca.

Challenge from Sept. 18: Name a well-known book in seven letters. Hint: it's spelled as a solid word. And it's so well known that many people can "quote" from it by heart. Add three letters to the end of this title and the result will name a late writer and TV personality, with four letters in the first name and six letters in the last. What book is it and who is this celebrity?

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).