Circus on Film
The high-flying acrobatic performances of live Cirque du Soleil shows go from the big top to the big screen in Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, in 3-D theaters December 21. What makes the performances captivating for all ages? "It's the combination of danger and beauty," director ANDREW ADAMSON told TFK. Read a Q&A with him at timeforkids.com/adamson.
They're Back!
It's been more than 100 years since Kenneth Grahame wrote the classic book The Wind in the Willows. Now Mole, Ratty, Toad and Badger are back, in JACQUELINE KELLY'S action-packed sequel, Return to the Willows. Kelly hopes her book will inspire kids to check out the original tale too. "I hope they'll love it as much as I do," the author told TFK.
Kid Comic
Jamie Grimm has a way of seeing the glass half full. When Stevie the bully beats him up, Jamie, who is wheelchair bound, says he is glad to have been treated "like a regular, normal kid." Jamie's goal is to become the greatest comedian in the world. I Funny: A Middle School Story is filled with his jokes. "It is funny, but it's pretty touching," coauthor JAMES PATTERSON told TFK.
A Hobbit's Life
Before he wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit. The well-loved tale finally hits the big screen on December 14 in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. MARTIN FREEMAN stars as Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who leads a quiet life until he joins a wizard and 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim their home from a dragon. "Bilbo finds things within himself—bravery, ability—that he didn't know he had," says Freeman.
Two Tales
The Great Unexpected alternates between two settings: the small town of Blackbird Tree and an estate across the ocean, in Ireland. When SHARON CREECH started writing the book, she wasn't sure how the two tales would connect. "I let the story tell itself to me," the Newbery Medal winner told TFK Kid Reporter Faye Collins. For more, go to timeforkids.com/creech.
Wimpy's First Dance
Wimpy Kid fans, rejoice! Greg Heffley is back. In The Third Wheel, the seventh book in the best-selling series, Greg's school is holding a Valentine's Day dance. Greg is worried that he'll be left out on the big night. Author JEFF KINNEY says he can relate to his main character's predicament. "There have been times when I've felt like the third wheel," he told TFK Kid Reporter Yusuf Halabi. For more, go to timeforkids.com/wimpy.
Babysitting 101
Parental Guidance, in theaters December 25, shows why family members don't always make the best babysitters. Grandparents Artie and Diane Decker, played by Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, hit some modern-day snags when they take care of their three grandkids for a weekend. JOSHUA RUSH (above left), 10, told TFK that in real life, Crystal and Midler would be "a pretty funny set of grandparents!"
To access the digital edition of TIME For Kids, go to timeforkids.com/digital.