Hey Shmoopakeets,

Today officially marks the first day of May, which brings us things like flowers, seasonal allergies, and attempts to “make breakfast” for your mothers. Too bad about those “pancakes,” but it’s the thought that counts. Probably.

In case you forgot, May also happens to be AP month.

For those of you who have spent the last eight months prepping for the throwdown (which, of course, is all of you), we have Shmoop guides for almost every AP test you can think of. For those of you who managed to convince yourselves that the AP tests were just a terrible, terrible dream and haven’t cracked open a textbook since the end of March (sup, seniors)…well, the weather is making Shmoop HQ feel generous. You can use them too.

Featured Shmoop: Updated AP Exams

The AP exams are only a week and a half away. It’s time for you to brush up on all your favorite—and least favorite—subjects. Our guides are freshly updated for this AP season with new content and practice exams, so why wait? Here, we’ll even lay it out for you:

• AP Psychology
• AP Calculus AB & BC
• AP English Language
• AP English Literature
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP US History
• AP US Government
• AP Statistics
• AP European History
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Human Geography
• AP Physics B
• AP Art History
• AP World History
• AP Biology
• AP Spanish Literature
• AP Spanish Language
• AP Chemistry

Shmoop Shout Out: WTC Tall Again

Sometimes, it is especially awesome to be American. Here are a few examples:

1. Flat out OWNING (almost) everyone in the Olympics.
2. Floating down a river on the Fourth of July while simultaneously shooting off “legal” fireworks.
3. McDonald’s. Nuggets forever.

But this week, we have a more profound reason to be excited about America, and we’re going to get serious for a minute. One World Trade Center is now the tallest building on the New York skyline. It seems fitting that the anniversary of bin Laden’s death coincides with the rise of a new symbol of national unity. We salute you, America, and we haven’t forgotten the many we lost that day.

If you aren’t in New York proper, check out the new building here.

Featured Shmoop: Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison’s metaphorical trophy case already includes some of the most distinguished awards in the world, including the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature, and now she’s adding another one to the list: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States.* You’re going to need a bigger metaphorical shelf, Ms. Morrison.

To celebrate, check out our guides to some of Toni Morrison’s greatest hits:

• Song of Solomon
• Sula
• The Bluest Eye
• Coming Soon: Beloved

Birthday: James Brown Born May 3, 1933

We have to shout out the Godfather of Soul. James Brown was known not only for his awesome dancing abilities and stage presence, but also because he was a pioneer in the civil rights movement and an outspoken critic of racism in America.

He went so far as to release a signature tune, “Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud),” in 1968—not necessarily the safest time to make such a claim. Pretty awesome, if you ask us.

Shmoop Shout Out 2.0: The Size of Things

If you’ve ever wondered how big a Tyrannosaurus rex is compared to a beach ball, or wanted to discover the relative size of parsecs and Oort clouds and weirdly named nebulae, we have the site for you.

Get ready for hours of endless fun! Okay, more like minutes, but we definitely recommend some high-speed scroll-zooming.

Good luck on those exams,
The Folks at Shmoop

*Also among this year’s honorees: Bob Dylan, Madeleine Albright, and John Glenn.