Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i Cricket Magazine Fiction and Non-Fiction Stories for Children and Young Teens

“Perspective” ink line over watercolor Jennifer Black Reinhardt grew up in a cozy town in the mountains of Pennsylvania, surrounded by creative artists and quirky collections. Drawing on that inspiration, Jennifer attended Carnegie Mellon University, where she graduated with a degree in illustration. Jennifer is the the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for children, including Always by My Side: A Stuffie Story, Playing Possum, and Blue Ethel. She has also illustrated many books, including Gondra’s Treasure and Yaks Yak, both written by Newbery Medal winner Linda Sue Park, and Sometimes You Fly by Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate. Still surrounded by eclectic collections, Jennifer joyfully creates picture books from her comfortably cluttered studio in her Iowa City home. Is it time to renew? shop.cricketmedia.com 1-800-821-0115…

Wrapped in muslin, bound with twine, protected in a sealed trunk. Carted over rutted paths—Milan, Florence, Rome, at last, the château in Amboise. The painting leans on an easel, a commission never delivered, no coin exchanged. Sitting by the window, the artist contemplates, certain another layer of glaze will render it perfect. The colors will blend, leaving no trace of the multiple layers. Leonardo pauses for inspiration. Are her eyes the perfect green? The folds of her silk dress, do they fall just so? And her smile, should he part her lips ever so slightly? Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo—the young wife of a silk merchant—while living in Florence, Italy, between 1503 and 1506. However, he never delivered the painting, nor was…

I CAME OUTSIDE after basketball practice with Wyatt Anderson. The sun was setting, and the cool autumn evening felt good compared to the sweltering gym. It must have been 150 degrees in there! At least it felt like it. And with twenty guys running around the whole time, and twenty girls sweating volleyball practice and screaming high-fives, well, that didn’t make things any better. I walked to where my mom’s wagon always parked, but it wasn’t there. That was a little weird. She never parked anywhere else, and she was never late. I went back and sat down next to Wyatt on the curb. His mom wasn’t there yet either. “What got into you tonight?” Wyatt said. “You must have scored like a hundred baskets.” I smiled and took a…

WHEN A GROUP of farmers began digging a well in China in 1974, they hoped to find water for their drought-stricken crops. Instead, they uncovered a startling secret that had been buried beneath the ground for over two thousand years. It became one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times. “At first the digging went well,” remembered Yang Zhifa, the farmer credited with making the initial discovery outside the Chinese city of Xi’an (shee ahn). “The second day we hit hard red earth. The third day, my hoe dug out the neck of a terracotta statue without a head.” At first the men thought they had found the site of an old kiln. But further digging uncovered the shoulders and torso of a man. Some of the older villagers…

Twelve-year-old Edmonia stamped her foot. “I don’t want to go to school. Too many rules. Frilly dresses. Strange food. I heard they make you recite prayers.” Edmonia squinted up at her brother. “How about you go to school?” Samuel grinned. “I’m twenty-one years old—a grown man. I’ve got to get back to California. Gold mining’s been good to me. I could never make as much money here in New York. Now listen, little sister, you can’t spend your life fishing, horseback riding, and chasing rabbits with our cousins. Momma and Daddy would have wanted you to have a proper education.” Edmonia Lewis was born in upstate New York, probably in 1844 (the exact place and year is unknown). By the time she was nine years old, she was an orphan.…

Across1. A mineral spring4. May I _______ for your hand in marriage?7. Love in Italian8. Love is amor in this country10. Popular Valentine’s Day flower12. I love no one _______ but you13. Part of foot14. Be sick16. Tse_______ fly17. South Carolina (abbreviation)18. Confess20. Nickname for Edward21. Brave, noble person23. Ancient Greek god of love25. _______ of corn26. Cupid’s weapon27. Soft, loose French cap29. Cupid is the _______ of Venus, Roman goddess of love Down1. Kiss2. Hold a position for a photograph3. “Roses _______ red, violets are blue. . . .”4. Fall wildly in love: go _______ over5. _______ and pepper6. Hugs and _______7. _______ and crafts9. Require11. _______ and her14. Loves and admires15. To love in German18. Inhabitant of Arabia19. Between a walk and a gallop22. Electrical engineer (abbreviation)24. Exclamation…

Wary of the musty gloom Tutankhamun toured his tomb. “Priest, this chamber’s dark and narrow. Turn a light on!” said the Pharaoh. “Royal Highness, what’s the fuss? Relax . . . in this sarcophagus. Let’s anoint your hair with oil,” said the priest, devout and loyal. “Son of Ra, you’ll feel much calmer when you meet the chief embalmer.” Soon the chief embalmer loomed. Young King Tut felt truly doomed. “Greetings,” the embalmer said. “Just unwind and rest your head. Forget your day of stress and strain as, gently, I remove your brain.” This suggestion made Tut tense. Acting out of self-defense, he wrapped the priest in linen bands—escaping into desert sands. “Whew!” said Tut. “I’ve broken free. They won’t get ahold of me. I plan to live a little…