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

“Scenes from Arabian Nights” collage and pen and ink Micha Archer is an author, artist, and illustrator living in western Massachusetts. A world traveler, her sense of color and pattern is influenced by the art, crafts, flora, and architecture of India, Nepal, West Africa, and Mexico, among other countries. Working in gouache, oil, ink, and collage, she creates layered pieces from various materials, on paper and digitally. She taught for fifteen years in a kindergarten classroom and spends her time now writing and illustrating books for children. Is it time to renew? shop.cricketmedia.com 1-800-821-0115…

Dear Cricket, I absolutely adore your magazine. I love to read and write and I was wondering if you could create a crash course in writing as one of your future articles. In school, math is my favorite subject, with science at an extremely close second. I also really like to spell. I play the trumpet and am starting piano. I want to play trombone, sax, flute, clarinet, drums, et cetera. I totally recommend the book Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. I like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, but other than that I am mostly into realistic fiction, not fantasy. Brenli Pugh (January 2015), I am in the midst of Wonderstruck and am enjoying it. I love the very first illustration of the…

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WHO’S GOT A GOOD IDEA FOR A RESOLUTION? HOW ABOUT: DO MORE EXPERIMENTS AND KEEP BETTER NOTES? OR: PRACTICE MORE, AND PLAY MORE NOTES!? (HEE HEE HEE) WE SHOULD TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS YEAR. SOMETHING CHALLENGING. LIKE MAKE UGLY BEAUTIFUL? (HA HA HA) EEK! SHE SAID CHALLENGING. MAYBE UGLY DOESN’T KNOW HE’S HYGIENE-IMPAIRED AND A SOCIAL DISASTER. HE MIGHT LIKE BEING PRESENTABLE, IF WE MADE IT HAPPEN.WE COULD BE FRIENDS! A CHALLENGING CHALLENGE INDEED. (SNORT) HOW WOULD WE GET HIM TO GO ALONG? EVERYBUGGY LIKES TO WIN A CONTEST. WE’LL SAY HE WON A FREE DAY AT THE CRICKET COUNTRY SPA! MENTION A MUD BATH AND HE’S SURE TO GO FOR IT. WHOA! IT WORKED! PROTECTIVE GEAR, EVERYBUGGY! WE DON’T WANT ANY TOXIC EXPOSURE. BUBBELS TIKEL! CAW…

“ DO YOU RKNEES hurt, Melissa?” I wince at Jenn’s voice piercing through the noise on the bleachers. Most of the class is already dressed for gym and waiting for Mr. Matthews. I can feel every one of their eyeballs on me as I cross the floor. Every. One. “Your knees must hurt, Melissa. Why else would you walk like that?” Have you ever tried to walk normally when you start thinking about how to walk normally? I don’t think it can be done. I can’t even remember which part of my foot is supposed to hit the ground first. Does my knee usually bend like that when I take a step? Giggling erupts from the flock of girls surrounding Jenn. Mr. Matthews is talking to someone at the other…

BOBBY WASN’T VERY good at making up things, but he wasn’t sure the truth would work on his mom either. He tried the truth anyway, offering in his most sincere voice, “I swear, Mom. I did finish my report, but then Oscar got hold of it and chewed it up. I think he buried it outside.” Mom turned the laundry basket upside down, emptying Bobby’s clean clothes onto the couch. The expression on her face meant that she wasn’t buying it. “It sounds a little hard to believe,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, Oscar’s a Chihuahua. Your notebook is bigger than he is.” “Really, Mom. I was playing with Oscar up in my room, and he grabbed the report right out of my hand.” “I’m sorry, but if…

You hear a voice, calling from downstairs, “Special delivery! You’re invited to a ski resort in Colorado! There will be people, milk, snow, and absolutely no murders at all! Come join us in the Alps and enjoy the great free stay!” Without thinking about how the Alps are in Italy and not Colorado, you rocket upstairs to pack. You fail to notice the creepy laugh from the sound system, “Muahahahaha . . .” Everyone proceeds to the back double doors and finds skis, hats, goggles, coats, basically everything needed for skiing. After skis are on, goggles adjusted, and hats argued over, they set off downhill much faster than gravity should pull. They scream as they rocket down the mountainside. Palm Tree continues speeding down the hill straight toward a cliff,…