Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Cricket Magazine Fiction and Non-Fiction Stories for Children and Young Teens

THE LARGE, SNOWY goose was, as usual, not paying attention. There were many birds at the lake, with more gathering each day. He hardly noticed the arrivals anymore, instead preferring to feed hungrily on the lush grass that rimmed the water’s edge. Sometimes the sky was filled with the big white geese, as well as smaller, charcoal swans, flying in and landing, rising up again, circling, then settling back onto the water. It was as if they were practicing a dance recital. Over the next several days, some of the groups would take off and not return, beginning their journey south before the oncoming winter cold. So distracted was the young goose, he did not notice when his own flock left the lake for the last time that fall. On…

MIDDLE SCHOOL IS a time of big changes for most students: a different building, teams of teachers, and more homework. But my friend Kristin Wolden Nitz tells me that in Merano, Italy, middle-school students have an added challenge. Instead of greeting their teacher with a breezy ciao, which means both “hello” and “goodbye,” they must respectfully say, “Good morning” or “Good afternoon.” Instead of saying tu, the informal form of “you,” they must switch to lei, the formal form of “you,” and the different verb conjugation that goes with it. This might seem strange to Americans, since the English language—unlike French, German, Spanish, and Italian—no longer has one mode of address for strangers, store clerks, and superiors, and another for children, friends, and family. (Thee and thou fell out of…

I’m going into eighth grade and I have been the new kid at school eight times. I basically think of myself as a nomad at this point. I’m 99 percent introverted, so in addition to not making friends easily I tend to not talk to them very much anyway. It’s not hard to find at least one person who you can get along with. There will also most likely be a group of friends who band around you because you’re new and interesting, and they want to be nice. Teachers will try to help you as much as possible. After the first week or so you’ll become a lot more comfortable. Nomad Kid Down to Earth, Chatterbox Hi, Everybuggy! I am sooo happy to be writing to you bugs! It…

First prize 10 and under Cora Barclay, age 10 Seattle, WA Sea Turtle Time The morning was dark and cold. Stars winked down from the sky and a half moon shone down. “Varrow, wake up,” Gramps whispered, shaking me awake. “It’s sea turtle time.” I rubbed my eyes and took in the shadows that surrounded us. It was so dark that I couldn’t see my bed. Then, a sudden jolt of electricity shot through me as I remembered. Sea turtle time. I had forgotten. Gramps and I pulled on our heavy waterproof boots over our pajamas and heaved rain jackets on our shoulders. The front door creaked as I pushed it open and ran out onto the beach, Gramps not far behind. I gasped. Thousands of baby sea turtles, as…

“SO . . . YOU gonna eat me or what?” I look down at my lunch. I know my mom would be mad if she knew I only bought a donut. She’s always on me about how a growing girl needs good nutrition, how you can’t learn with just sugar to fuel you. She never mentioned this particular issue though: the donut is talking to me. Some people would be delighted about this, I guess. But me? This is the last thing I need. Long story, but in the fourth grade I was known as the girl who threw up on her hand. It took two years for me to live that down. Now, in the sixth grade, I think most people have forgotten about it. They haven’t teased me…

COOPER FELT GOOSEBUMPS break out all over his arms. He looked at his mom in disbelief. She was wearing his video game headset and staring at the TV screen. There was a vein in the side of her neck that he had never noticed before. It was pulsing. But none of that was the most terrifying. The cause of the goosebumps was what he heard coming from his mother’s mouth. “Yesss!” she hissed triumphantly. “I got the emerald sword! I’m coming for you, Dunder Dragon!” “Mom? What are you doing?” he asked. “Oh wassup, honey? NO! Look out! The creeper is right behind you.” Cooper’s mom covered the mouthpiece and spoke to him out of the side of her mouth without tearing her eyes away from the screen. “He’s such…

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Miranda lives in New York in the 1970s. Her best friend got punched and now won’t talk to her, and she meets a boy who’s obsessed with time travel. One day she receives a note that says, “I will not be myself when I reach you.” Then later, “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.” You’ll just have to read it to find out the rest. Josh H., age 11 via cricketmagkids.com Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Fish in a Tree is about a girl named Ally, who always has been considered dumb because she is unable to read. Ally is bullied in school and always feels like she isn’t good enough. But then she gets…