• Sir John was sentenced to die for treason--how did he escape from a guarded, locked, windowless room - 09/01/2011

    This is the story about a man named Sir John and his friend, who went by the initials R.T. Their story takes place during a civil war in England more than three hundred years ago. The war was between Republicans, who wanted to be rid of the monarchy, and Royalists, who wanted to continue to be ruled...

  • Would Nicole be able to think of one? - 09/01/2011

    Misty, Heather, and Katie were spending the night at Nicole’s house. “Let’s tell scary stories,” said Misty. “That will be fun,” said Heather. “The creepier the better,” agreed Katie. Nicole smiled and nodded, but she felt a little worried. Would she be able to think of a scary story? Misty went...

  • What will the duck, the frog, and the turtle do without water? - 09/01/2011

    “What are we going to do?” said the duck to the frog. “The pond is dry. We cannot live without water.” “What are we going to do?” said the frog to the turtle. “The pond is dry. We cannot live without water.” “Maybe our friend Elizabeth will save us when she comes to play,” said the turtle. The...

  • Miz Cricket wants to help her friend. - 09/01/2011

    “Oh my!” said Mr. Fuddle. “I can’t find my spectacles.” He groped about the room, looking for them. “Finders, keepers; losers, weepers,” he added sadly. Miz Cricket gave a little leap. Mr. Fuddle was her friend. She always listened to what he had to say. She knew that he wouldn’t be able to read...

  • Lisa's family can't figure out her disappearing trick. Can you? - 09/01/2011

    It was morning. It was the first of April. Lisa looked out of the window. She saw new snow. There were no dog tracks in the snow. There were no cat tracks in the snow. There were no tire tracks in the snow. There were no tracks in the snow at all. “I’m going out to tramp in the snow,” Lisa called...

  • There's more to buckeyes than meets the eye. - 09/01/2011

    I’m walking home from third grade with Timmy and the Donnelly brothers today because we have plans. The autumn sun is already low, and the wind blows through the shadows of Mrs. Johnson’s horse-chestnut trees. All four of us go to her door, but only Timmy, who is in sixth grade, rings the bell. The...

  • The thief in this case wasn't too hard to pin down. - 09/01/2011

    I stopped and stared at the balloon. It was as big as a building and shaped like a teddy bear. “Come on, Carol,” Jordan said, tapping my arm. “It’s almost time for David’s liftoff.” Jordan and I are in the same class at school. My cousin, David, had invited us to a balloon rally this weekend. We...

  • See if you can figure out Misty's Mystery. - 09/01/2011

    Crash! Misty DeTech jumped out of her sleep. What was that noise? She looked down from her bed and saw the case for her binoculars lying on the floor. “Fact one,” she thought. “Last night I brought my binoculars to bed so I wouldn’t forget to check the thermometer this morning. “Fact two: A loud...

  • What happened to the chips in the chocolate chip cookies? - 09/01/2011

    Mom reached into the cookie jar where she always kept chocolate chip cookies—her family’s favorite. “All gone,” she said. “Time to make more.” So in a big bowl she stirred together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking soda. Next, she opened the bag of chocolate chips. “Mmm, chocolate...

  • Can you help Rebecca find S-A-M? - 09/01/2011

    Rebecca had been learning the letters of the alphabet all morning. Now she wanted to play outside. “Daddy, I’m going out to find Sam,” Rebecca called as she opened the sliding glass door. “I haven’t played with him all day.” “Where should I look first?” Rebecca wondered as she looked around the...

  • Fascinate your friends with a card trick that only looks complicated. - 09/01/2011

    The four-ace trick is a classic in magic. The four aces, placed in four different locations in the deck, magically come together. The following method of doing the trick is easy. To get this trick ready to show a friend, find a time when he or she is out of the room. While your friend is gone, do...

  • In the East End of London, England, people speak a rhyming slang called Cockney. - 09/01/2011

    Use your loaf . . . and you’ll understand this story Frankie stashed his bees and honey in his sky rocket, dashed down the apples and pears, and ran out of the cat and mouse. He heard his little skin and blister calling him, but he ran on as fast as his clothes pegs would carry him. Today was her...

  • Talitha discovers how Big T stole a note, some straw, a handkerchief, and a ribbon. - 09/01/2011

    Talitha’s curls bounced as she hopped up the worn concrete steps of the museum, through the open door, and straight to the information desk. “Hello. I’m here to see Big T,” she announced. “I beg your pardon?” The woman had been rummaging through her desk. She suddenly sat up, gave a little sneeze,...

  • Sometimes a pesky younger brother can be an impressive little guy. - 09/01/2011

    Even before I reached the tent, I knew there would be trouble. My little brother was following me, his arms heaped with a sleeping bag, a flashlight, and his stuffed bear. “Oh no,” my friend Wade said. “What did you bring him for?” The other guys moaned and groaned so much you’d think they were...

  • David knows there are seventeen children in his class. Why can he remember only sixteen of them? - 09/01/2011

    David opened his box of valentines and spilled them onto the kitchen table. He plopped his book bag next to the valentines. It was the day before Valentine’s Day, and David wanted to give a card to everyone in his class. He unzipped the book bag and looked inside. David’s mom sat down next to him....

  • Manny is convinced that there are space aliens in the Morgans' apartment--now he and his brother are - 09/01/2011

    The minute I came home from school my brother, Manny, ran toward me. “I heard it again! I heard it again!” he shrieked. “You heard what?” “Footsteps! Doors opening and closing! There’s someone upstairs in apartment 4-B.” Manny was at it again. “There’s no one in apartment 4-B,” I said. “The Morgans...

  • Fool your friends with a mind-boggling card trick. - 09/01/2011

    Using any twenty-one cards from a standard deck, fan the cards faceup for a friend. Ask your friend to “mentally” select one card, without pulling it out of the deck or pointing to it. Once your friend has a card in mind, ask him to watch as you deal all the cards faceup into three stacks. When...

  • For nearly a century, scholars have been trying to solve the mystery of the Phaistos Disk. - 09/01/2011

    Have you ever decoded a secret message? On the Greek island of Crete, in the Mediterranean Sea, there is a message so puzzling that it has remained a secret since its discovery almost one hundred years ago. The message is ancient. Almost four thousand years ago it was stamped onto a disk that was...

  • Is there really a ghost, a witch, and a spider in the haunted house? You figure out the mystery. - 09/01/2011

    Peter wore his skeleton suit to Michael’s house. A clown opened the door. “Welcome to my party,” said the clown in a squeaky voice. Peter laughed. He knew the clown was Michael. In the living room, a spooky spider was eating potato chips. “Hi,” said Peter to the spider. He knew it was Becky. “Boo,”...

  • Two boys solve a mystery that reunites a community. - 09/01/2011

    Amadou sat in the shade of a tamarind tree, watching Uncle Ghana’s goats. Ponta, the biggest goat, stretched his nose into the thorny hedge that protected the orchard. Amadou hurled a rock near Ponta to chase him away. “He can’t get through the hedge,” said Ousmane, Amadou’s little brother. “I’m...