Cricket Magazine Fiction and Non-Fiction Stories for Children and Young Teens September 2016

“Sunset Ride” watercolor with digital tools Jaime Kim was born and raised in Korea. Although she was a timid child who was afraid of everything, she discovered a sense of serenity in drawing. As a grownup, Jaime finally stopped being afraid but kept on drawing and painting. She works with gouache, watercolors, and digital tools to create nostalgic and dreamlike illustrations inspired by childhood memories of her family, as well as by movies, art, and the outside world. Her favorite things are the sun, the moon, the sky, and stars—which is why they always creep into her artwork. Is it time to renew? shop.cricketmedia.com 1-800-821-0115 Check out our online Teacher Guides at cricketmedia.com/teacher-resources…

Dear Everybuggy, I thoroughly enjoy your magazine. My best subjects are arithmetic and writing. Right now I am practicing the Queen’s English, at which I am progressing quite slowly. My list of favorite books consists of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games. Please write a passage about how the abilities of children are sometimes underestimated. Rhiannon Jo C., age 10 Conway, Massachusetts Hello, Everybuggy! I’ve been planning to send this letter for years. My mother language is Spanish, but I’ve been learning English by my own self at home and now I can understand everything in English pretty well. When I was really little I got Ladybug, then Spider, and now Cricket. I can’t wait to get Cicada! These magazines made my English a lot more complete, and…

SHE SITS IN the same tree every day at lunch, feet dangling from the edge of her wooden defense tower behind the kickball courts. I stay off the blacktop as I make my way around, away from the big kids, not wanting to draw enemy action as I approach her. This mission requires my uninterrupted attention and expert knowledge in treaty tactics. My new shoes alone make me more prepared than the last time I was on this quest. Plus five charm, plus five spirit, plus ten agility. But I also carry a secret weapon, which I keep hidden in the back pocket of my jeans. Like the Obsidian Crusader said in Knight Golems: The Stone War, “When attempting to make allies with an unfamiliar faction, show confidence, show charisma,…

“I DON’T REMEMBER any of these Greek verbs,” Caeso whispers to me as our teacher, Sabellus, turns his attention to the younger boys. I stare at the passage of Sophocles I am laboring to copy onto my tablet. It’s late summer, which makes for a long, hot school day sitting on a hard bench, wearing a woolen tunic. The street just beyond our awning is much more interesting than learning where the ancient hero Oedipus might be buried. Next door, a shrill woman berates the baker. The blacksmith’s bellows wheeze, and his hammer bangs. Horses clop; carts rumble on the rocky pavement toward the center of Rome. It’s the same every day, but fascinating compared to lessons. “Why do we need all this Greek anyway?” my twin continues. “We’re too…

ANCIENT ROMANS WERE the first great arch bridge builders. They realized that it’s impossible to make an arch without supporting it as it goes up. The basic Roman arch is built starting at the abutments (masonry masses supporting and receiving the thrust of part of an arch). Stones are added higher and higher along the curve, until only one more stone, called the keystone, is needed at the top. The Romans used a wooden frame, called the centering, to support arches as they were being built. The centering was removed after the keystone was placed. What You’ll Need: 1 cup sand 1/2 cup cornstarch 4 cups water 2 old saucepans to use as a double boiler wooden spoon a bunch of same-sized rocks a wax paper-covered cylindrical container (an oatmeal…

IT IS SAID that many years ago, before the Book of Kells was written and Saint Patrick banished the snakes, a giant named Finn MacCool lived on the northeastern coast of Ireland. There he and his wife, Oona, fished the cold waters and kept fine, fluffy sheep on the grassy cliff tops. One morning, as the sun rose over the ocean and lit the cliffs like the inside of an oyster shell, Finn kissed Oona goodbye and hauled his nets down to the beach. He shivered as he waded into the surf and slung out his seines. As the tendrils of mist retreated over the sea, Finn made out a tall shape in the distance. “Oy!” the distant figure called. “Who’s there? Who comes near Benandonner’s land?” It was another…