S.I. For Kids -- Super Magazine!
Pros:
great photos, interesting stories, lots of kid contributions
Cons:
My son won't do anything else until he's read it!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
My son is a Sports Fanatic who had the misfortune of being born to "sports-challenged" parents. Sports Illustrated For Kids is one of the ways we help him cope!
My nine year old son received a gift subscription to S.I. For Kids for his 8th birthday from his aunt and uncle. It soon became apparent that this magazine was a hit....and not just with my son! There have been times when he's caught me reading it on the day it arrives in the mail, and the response is "Hey! That's MY magazine! You can read after I get done, Mom!"
The first thing he checks when each issue arrives is the pull-out section of trading cards. These cards are of well-known athletes from a variety of sports. He doesn't trade the cards with his friends (although I'm sure he could), but he really enjoys reading all the stats and the trivia on the back.
After that, he checks the "Letters To The Editor" section. This page consists of notes from kids about previous articles and drawings of athletes that kids have submitted. You see quite a range, and we are always impressed with the talent that is out there among the kid-readers. Late last year, there was a feature that my son really enjoyed, and upon my suggestion, he e-mailed S.I. for Kids, and told them about it. To our surprise, about a month later, I got a phone call from one of the editors, verifying my son's information, and asking my permission to print his letter in an upcoming issue! When the issue was released, they went a step further, and mailed him an extra complimentary issue, so he'd be sure not to miss his letter in print! You've got to love a P.R. Department like that!
Each issue is chock-full of interesting articles, interviews with sports superstars, eye-catching photos, and lots of sports trivia. If you find that your child enjoys this magazine, I have another suggestion: there is a prolific author named Matt Christopher who writes sports fiction and sports biographies aimed at this same 8 to 12 age group.
We have subscribed to many other magazines for our son over the years, in order to encourage him to read for fun. These magazines include Ranger Rick, My Big Backyard, Boys Life and Discover. These are all good magazines, but there were lots of months that the other magazines would go unopened, unless I happened to pick one up and read it. Not so with Sports Illustrated for Kids. This magazine gets read from cover to cover, usually in one sitting. I don't know what greater compliment I can give it.
Two "thumbs-up" for Sports Illustrated For Kids
