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All in the Family

April 27, 2018

Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in theaters on June 15. In Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Elastigirl is busy fighting crime while Mr. Incredible takes care of their kids, Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack. Life isn’t easy for the family,…

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Unfinished Business

April 27, 2018

In 2013, Gennifer Choldenko published the third book in her Tales from Alcatraz trilogy. At the time, she thought she was finished with the series. It tells the story of Moose, the son of a guard at the prison on…

United States

Cactuses at Risk

April 20, 2018

The sun goes down and a truck pulls up to a giant saguaro (sa- wah -ro) in the Sonoran Desert. Poachers wearing protective gloves step out. They dig up the cactus, wrap it in a carpet, and drive away. Cactuses…

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Community

Inspiring Educators

April 20, 2018

This year, Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 7 to 11. To celebrate, TFK asked five successful people to write about one of their most memorable and inspiring teachers. Bill Gates Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates uses his wealth to help…

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Liar, Liar

April 19, 2018

Can you tell when someone is lying? Pants on Fire is a new podcast game show by Gen-Z Media that puts listeners’ truth-detecting skills to the test. In each episode, kid contestants are asked to decide which of two “experts”…

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Rhyming in the Ring

April 19, 2018

Knockout, by K.A. Holt, is about a boy named Levi. As a baby, Levi suffered from a medical condition that made it hard for him to breathe. Now a seventh grader, Levi has recovered but still feels trapped. His dad…

Business

TFK Explains: The Facebook Data Breach

April 13, 2018

What exactly happened? In 2014, a political data company based in the United Kingdom 
gained access to personal information about Facebook users. The company, Cambridge Analytica, used that information to get to know many American voters. Its purpose was to…

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The Key to Creativity

April 13, 2018

Where does creativity come from? And what does it look like? These are the questions Colby Sharp, a fourth-grade teacher in Michigan, wanted to help his students answer. “I realized that ideas can come at any time and can take…

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Learning to Bounce Back

April 13, 2018

A bright-orange tour bus is hard to miss. Even more so when it’s branded Rebound —the title of the new book by Kwame Alexander. In the book, Charlie Bell can’t seem to make the right choices after a family tragedy.…

Science

Science Fair Fun

April 12, 2018

I know what it feels like to be transported into a completely new world—a world of innovation, science, and discovery. That’s because I attended the USA Science & Engineering Festival, held April 7 and 8, in Washington, D.C. (The day…

World

Kids of Kakuma

April 11, 2018

KAKUMA, Kenya — Wild animals roamed at night, but Rose Peter and the 19 other children she was with still managed to sleep in the bush. In daylight, they walked. “One week,” Rose tells me when I ask how long…

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Environment

Sweet Solutions

April 6, 2018

Last year, Americans spent more than $22 billion on chocolate. But the tasty treat comes at a far greater cost than this. That’s because farmers in Africa and South America often cut down trees in the rain forest when…

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Environment

Hope for the Wild

April 6, 2018

One of the last unspoiled areas of Amazon rain forest lies in a remote region of northeastern Peru called Yaguas. The lush land stretches along 125 miles of the Putumayo River. Amazon rain forests are so massive that they…

Environment

The Problem With Plastics

April 6, 2018

One late-summer day, a team of cleanup volunteers was exploring the shore of the Anacostia River, in Washington, D.C. The water rippled under a hazy blue sky. Tall grass swayed on the mudflats. But something else caught the group’s eye.…

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World

Trees, Please

April 5, 2018

China is known for its long history, rich culture, and cute pandas. It’s also known for some of the worst air quality in the world. But the Asian country is now wielding a natural weapon against air pollution—trees. In February,…

Business

Lego Goes Green

April 5, 2018

Lego bricks are among the world’s most popular toys. But fans might be surprised to learn that the process for making the colorful playthings—as with many other toys—is harmful to the environment. That’s because Legos are made with plastic derived…

Environment

A Big Mess

April 5, 2018

Around 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic have piled up in a stretch of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California. The area is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. According to a new study from the Ocean Cleanup foundation,…

Environment

Kid Heroes for the Planet

April 5, 2018

You don’t have to be a superhero to help the environment. Even small, simple actions can add up to big change. People around the world will celebrate Earth Day on April 22. But anyone—including kids—can work to help the Earth…

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Clearing the Air

April 5, 2018

Can one kid really take on a big problem like pollution? That’s the question facing the hero of a new book, Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea. Iqbal lives in Bangladesh. His mother cooks indoors over an open fire. The smoke…

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Protecting Pandas

April 5, 2018

A little more than 1,800 giant pandas exist in the wild. But scientists at the Chengdu Panda Base, in China, are working to increase that number. They are introducing captive-born pandas into the wild. Qian Qian (pronounced chen chen) is…