24. Cobblestone Magazine - July/August 2011

COBBLESTONE MAGAZINE – July/August 2011

Published by Carus Publishing Company

GENRE: Magazine

HONORS: This issue has not won any awards, but Cobblestone has received many Parents’ Choice Magazine awards and a George Washington Honor Medal.

REVIEW:

 As a children’s magazine on American history, each issue of Cobblestone focuses on one particular subject and, for the July/August 2011 issue, the subject happens to be “Great American Writers.”  There are numerous articles on many of America’s great novelists, poets, and playwrights throughout history, ranging from Walt Whitman to Willa Cather to Arthur Miller.  Each of the articles includes a brief biography of the author and a summary of their most famous works, as well as an illustration of the author.  There are a group of cartoon characters that appear in many of the articles with word bubbles commenting on the authors.  These characters are also featured in a humorous cartoon on the final page.  The magazine also provides a crossword puzzle for tweens that requires knowledge of literary terms and a matching game for tweens to draw a line between a famous character and the work in which they appeared.  There is also a resource list at the end of the magazine that recommends places and websites to visit, as well as past issues that may be of interest. 

OPINION:

This magazine is a fun way to learn about different subjects in American history.  Because each issue focuses on one topic, it allows tweens to have a more in-depth look.  I found the “Great American Writers” issue really entertaining and informative, giving interesting facts about a wide variety of authors.  There were several authors that I did not really know much about, so I really enjoyed learning about them and testing myself with the true or false quiz about the issue at the end.  With the use of short articles and interactive games, the magazine helps keep tweens interested in the theme while introducing them to a plethora of interesting authors.  The use of illustrations helps make the magazine visually interesting, as well.  I also found it really refreshing that there are no advertisements in the magazine.  Because the articles give readers an idea of each author’s style and genre, many tweens will hopefully pick up some of the works of an author that appeals to them.

IDEAS:

This magazine would be helpful to introduce to history teachers for inclusion in their classes, as well as a library display on American history.  This particular issue could help inspire a library program introducing tweens to American writers, with several writers being discussed during each meeting.