Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2016 i Cricket Magazine Fiction and Non-Fiction Stories for Children and Young Teens

“Shore Birds” Mixed Media and Collage In my kindergarten class in Brooklyn, New York, my teacher gave us an assignment to use the milk cartons from our snack time in an art project. We could do anything. There were no rules—just a milk carton, glue, and a piece of paper. I remember drawing a woman with a pearl necklace and using the milk carton as her outfit. My teacher made a big fuss about my piece and hung it in the hallway outside our classroom. I guess you could say it was my first art exhibit. It was a thrilling feeling. I have always loved color. I used to arrange my Crayola box of sixty-four crayons according to my favorite colors. My two favorites were periwinkle and melon, and my…

Flesh-made mountain: dragon sleeps, tending dreams of fire and death. Steaming vapor streams and creeps—misty wreath of dragon breath. Hemlock ribs cage granite heart: beat by beat, bright valley quakes. He’ll wage a war to break apart creation. Hush! The dragon wakes! “SPARKY! YOU BURNED a hole right through the curtains—again!” “Sorry, Mom. It was an accident.” Sheesh! Parents! Didn’t they remember how hard it was to learn to breathe fire? “We have a bigger problem than burned curtains,” Dad announced, his binoculars aimed at the house next door. “Dennis D. Dragon!” Mom’s tail thumped the kitchen floor. “Who are you spying on?” “See for yourself, Irene.” Mom—who’d been flaming mad about Dad’s spying only a second ago—pulled the binoculars to her eyes faster than fire spurting from an angry…

ANNETTE WATCHED THE other children playing. How she wished she could join them! But she couldn’t run or skip or kick a ball. Her legs were too weak and crooked. Born in Sydney, Australia, in 1886, Annette Kellerman suffered from a crippling bone disease, probably rickets. As a toddler she had to wear heavy iron braces on her legs. The braces hurt, and Annette hated how she had to walk in slow, stiff, staggering steps. She often stayed by herself, where others couldn’t see her. Annette’s years as a disabled child began to change when she was six years old. Her doctor thought exercise would help strengthen her legs and urged her parents to enroll Annette in swimming classes. “I was awfully scared and did not learn quickly,” Annette later…

GUSTAV HOGLUND SHADED his eyes and gazed across his new homesteaded land. He faced south first, then west and north and east. Six-foot high prairie grasses swished around his body, no matter which direction he turned. He raised his eyes. A 360 ° deep blue horizon stared back. He shook his head and reminded himself that worrying would do no good now. He had left Sweden and come to America, and he would make the best of it. Gustav’s fiancée, Maria, agreed to join him when Gustav had a place for them to settle. At this moment in 1869, he had no idea how he would make good on his promise. Gustav sighed. In his native homeland, groves of trees created boundaries. Rock fences along both sides of the roads…

COOL DOWN THIS summer with these creamy, fruity ice-cream blocks. They’re fun and easy to make and taste super delicious! What You’ll Need: 1/2 cup sugar (or more to taste, especially for lemons or sour cherries) 1 cup warm water 1 cup heavy cream Fresh fruit, such as: 1/2 large peeled mango 1 quart raspberries, strawberries, or pitted cherries 4 peeled oranges or large lemons, seeded 6 small pitted peaches, apricots, or plums 5 cups diced watermelon or cantaloupe 3 ice cube trays blender or food processor Popsicle sticks (optional) What to Do: 1. Mix sugar and water together until sugar is completely dissolved. 2. Add cream and fruit. 3. Mix in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. 4. Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze.…

MAKING HIKARU DORODANGO , or shiny mud balls, is a popular children’s pastime in Japan. Dorodango can be red, yellow, gray, black, or even white. The color depends on the type of dirt used. When properly made, these mud balls have a hard, glossy finish and a beautiful luster. Shiny mud balls are fun to make, display, or give away. All you really need is dirt and water—and a little patience. What You’ll Need: mud fine dirt free of rocks and twigs plastic bags folded dish towel soft cloth or old sock What to Do: 1. Find some mud or make your own by mixing dirt with water in a plastic container. The mud should be thick and doughy. 2. Shape a handful of mud into a…

PU YI’S YELLOW dragon kite dipped and soared over the red roofs of the Forbidden City. His hopes rose and fell with the kite. If the wind carried his kite high, his wish might come true. The yellow kite, a color only he, as emperor of China, could use, climbed up and up. But although the winds buoyed up his kite, they did not grant his wish: that his father would spend more time with him. Prince Chun, his father, had arrived that morning, kowtowed to his son by kneeling and touching his forehead to the ground, inquired about his studies, and left. He had not even stayed his usual two minutes. Pu Yi had counted to sixty twice. His father left on the forty-ninth second of the second minute.…

THIS NEW LITTLE stepsister’s getting on my nerves. She won’t stop talking. What was Dad trying to prove with this family vacation? We can’t instantly become the ideal family. I just became a teenager, and Christina’s a baby. “She’s eight,” Dad had told me a week ago when I called about my summer visit. “You like to hike, Sean. Bring your pack and sleeping bag, and we’ll explore Kings Canyon National Park. Christina and her mom haven’t seen sequoia trees.” Dad and I finished pitching the large tent he’d just bought. I stood at its entrance and watched the morning sun top the trees by the stream, then walked back to the SUV to get my gear. Yanking out my duffle, I knocked a pink backpack to the ground. Before…