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Find the Facts

January 16, 2020

More than half of teens learn about the news from social-media sources and YouTube videos. That’s according to a 2019 Common Sense Media survey. But the information on those sites is not always trustworthy. “There’s more misinformation out there than…

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Animal Adventures

January 15, 2020

Dr. John Dolittle is a veterinarian with a special talent: He can talk to animals. The character was introduced 100 years ago in The Story of Doctor Dolittle, the first in a series of classic novels for kids. Over the…

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Iggy's World

January 15, 2020

Nine-year-old Iggy Frangi isn’t afraid to be himself. He has a lot of great ideas, even if they don’t always go according to plan. The Best of Iggy is about the misadventures of this mischievous boy. Author Annie Barrows calls…

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Science

Moving Mountains

January 9, 2020

What do you imagine when you hear the word inventor? Many people picture Thomas Edison holding a lightbulb, or Alexander Graham Bell talking on the first telephone. But not all inventors are in our history books. New inventions are being…

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World

Fires in Australia

January 9, 2020

Since September, bush fires have been burning in Australia. Drought and a severe heat wave are feeding the flames. Officials are calling this fire season one of the worst in the country’s history. “We have no idea where this is…

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What's She Building in There?

January 8, 2020

Penny Rose is new in town. She has no friends, and spends most of her time in a shed in the backyard. There, she plays around with tools and junk parts to create her own robots. One day, she stumbles…

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Hands-On Science

January 8, 2020

In SciGirls, real middle school girls ask big science questions. Then they journey to find the answers. Along the way, they meet professional scientists and learn about how these people do their work. The show’s new season airs this winter…

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Technology

Best Inventions of 2019

January 3, 2020

Every year, TIME magazine names the year’s best inventions. This year, the list includes robotic hands, recyclable footwear—what will they think of next? Inventors are always at work, dreaming up new technologies. Some inventions help us solve problems. Others make…

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Shoot for the Stars

January 2, 2020

Have you ever wanted to explore outer space? The popular podcast The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian takes listeners on a cosmic journey. The show follows Finn Caspian and his friends as they travel on the Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary…

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Rising Reporter

January 2, 2020

In Cub, Cindy just wants the seventh-grade bullies to leave her alone. So she pretends to be boring, hoping they won’t notice her. That begins to change when Cindy gets the opportunity of a lifetime: She becomes a cub reporter,…

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TFK Reads: Pavi Sharma's Guide to Going Home

January 2, 2020

Pavi Sharma’s Guide to Going Home, by Bridget Farr, is about a girl who has become an expert on foster care. After staying in several different foster homes, she’s now living with a wonderful, loving family. She uses her experience…

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portrait of Frederick Douglass

TFK Library

Frederick Douglass

January 1, 2020

In the decades leading up to the Civil War, Frederick Douglass (February 1818—February 20, 1895) became the most powerful orator and writer of the abolitionist movement. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, and raised by his…

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TFK Library

Martin Luther King Jr.

January 1, 2020

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929—April 4, 1968) is considered one of history’s greatest speakers and social activists. His leadership in peaceful protests helped end segregation during the American civil rights movement. When Martin Luther King Jr. was born,…

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TFK Library

Fannie Lou Hamer

January 1, 2020

Fannie Lou Hamer (October 6, 1917—March 14, 1977) was a civil rights activist. She fought to expand voting rights for African Americans and raise awareness of the terrible impact of segregation. As an African American born in the South…

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Ruby Bridges

TFK Library

Ruby Bridges

January 1, 2020

In 1960, Ruby Bridges (September 8, 1954—present) walked through the doors of William Frantz Elementary School, in New Orleans, Louisiana. By doing so, she became the first African-American student to attend an all-white elementary school in the Southern United States.…

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TFK Reads: My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich

December 23, 2019

The main character in My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich is named Ebony-Grace Norfleet Freeman. But in the imaginary world she’s created in her mind, she goes by E-Grace Starfleet. My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, by Ibi…

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United States

Trump Impeached

December 19, 2019

The U.S. House of Representatives voted last night to impeach President Donald Trump. To impeach a president means to charge him or her with a crime. A trial in the Senate will now decide whether he is guilty or innocent.…

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TFK Reads: Free Lunch

December 19, 2019

Free Lunch is a memoir, or an autobiographical story about one part of the author’s life. It’s about author Rex Ogle’s experience at home and at school during the first semester of sixth grade. Free Lunch is one of TFK’s…