Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2024 i Cricket Magazine Fiction and Non-Fiction Stories for Children and Young Teens

“Butterfly Catcher” mixed media Penelope Dullaghan is an accomplished, acclaimed artist/illustrator with a penchant for expressing joy through form and color. She works in children’s publishing, editorial, and advertising and dabbles extravagantly in any medium she can find —especially printmaking, paint, and cut paper. No matter the method, though, she creates images that are distinguished by simplicity and guided by curiosity. Penelope works from her studio in Indianapolis, where she lives with her writer husband and artist-in-training teen. Is it time to renew? shop.cricketmedia.com 1-800-821-0115…

I sneeze in threes, not ones, not twos.I have no choice; I can’t refuse.It’s true! Achoo! Oh, what to do!That’s number one just blowing through. It has begun. The course must runUntil the third is finally done.I’ve tried to stop; I’ve tried the tricks.It’s like—Achoo!—the sneeze just sticks! Now don’t you see? There must be three.My nose will have its way with me.That’s why, when asked, I always say,“I guess my nose was made this way.” I know you think it’s silly—threes?That’s not the way most people sneeze.You wait and see! I’ll prove you wrong.The third will come. It won’t be long. And then you’ll say, “My, you were right!That three-sneeze curse is quite the sight!”What’s that? You’re waiting for the third?I know you think my nose absurd. And you’re…

ROLF WAS ALMOST asleep when the Frisbee landed with a soft plop a few feet from his head. His eyelids twitched, then opened. He yawned, unimpressed. It was only a Frisbee—one of those new jobs that glows in the dark—but still just a Frisbee. It had probably been up in the tree and finally come unstuck. Satisfied that it posed no immediate threat to his present contentment, Rolf again closed his eyes and settled down to sleep. In the morning, his boy would get the Frisbee when he came to fill the water dish. Maybe there would even be time for a short game before school. Rolf glowed with pride. No other dog in the neighborhood could match his talent at playing Frisbee. His boy was proud of him and…

A flying saucer came last night.It landed in the drive.I warned the crew, “My dad parks there.He’ll eat you all alive!” Dad pulled up bad-tempered,But his frown became a smileWhen he saw the flying saucer,And he said, “I like their style!” He then addressed the Martians,“Will you take me for a spin?” They replied, “It’s new. ImportedStraight from Venus. Come on in!” They flew ’round Earth a dozen times,And visited a star. Then they asked my dad if heWould drive them in his car. I simply can’t explain it.I thought they would be bored.But Dad now drives a saucer.The Martians drive a Ford.…

AT THE FAR end of town, next to a dark forest, sits a dilapidated white house. Kids at my school call it the Spook House, which might be funny except this house is where I live with my mom and little brother, Andy. The house isn’t haunted, but the outside might make you think twice about entering. Peeling paint reveals black images underneath that look like bats and ghosts. Rickety red shutters hang on by a few rusty nails. And weeds and long grass wrap the house in neglect. When Mom rented the house, I thought she was crazy. “Are you kidding, Mom? You really signed a lease on this place?” She seemed surprised by my reaction. “The apartment was too small. I thought you’d be happy to have your…

Long ago, in a land far to the east, when camel caravans laden with enchanted rings and other costly goods roamed burning sandscapes, there reigned a sultan whose health was failing. He wasted away with no appetite, the luster of his eyes dimming with each passing day. He summoned his three sons to his bedside. “O my sons,” he said, “before I die, I wish to see you married so I may be assured of my lineage’s succession.” Amin, the oldest, scowled. “Would you have me wedded beneath my dignity, O my father? When Allah sends me a maiden as beautiful as the moon, I will marry her.” Hashem, the second son, frowned. “Would you have me wedded beneath my stature, O my father? When Allah sends me a maiden…

Across 1. Bowl-shaped depressions caused by impact 5. Protect, shelter, or conceal 9. Astronauts have walked _______ the Moon1o. Boise, _______ 11. Latin word for Moon 12. Estimated time of arrival (abbreviation) 13. Piece of broken pottery 15. _______, up, and away 16. Computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey 17. Our star18. Prefix meaning not 19. Chew and swallow 20. Backward counting before rocket launch 22. Powdery remains of a fire 23. Extraterrestrial (abbreviation) 24. Children’s chasing game 26. Be ill 27. Astronauts must _______ highly trained 28. Line attaching an astronaut to a spaceship 30. Religion (abbreviation) 31. Fourth planet from the sun 32. Visible signs or impressions 35. Chopping tool 36. Circle a planet or star 37. Force of attraction to a planet Down 1. Celestial bodies with…

I’M SURPRISED TO see a black vehicle roll up the long, weedy gravel driveway. It had been years since anyone had come to the house. I lean into the window bay, straining to see more from my upstairs room, but the windows of the car are tinted so dark I can’t see the passengers. I close my eyes, cross my fingers, and make a wish. Whoever is arriving, please let it be someone who will become my new best friend. The car stops in front of the house, and the driver gets out. She has a stylish black bob and red-rimmed glasses that match her bright-red lipstick. She opens the trunk of the car and starts lining up piece after piece of matching luggage on the porch. The door on…