Magazines for Young People

Check the MHLS Professional Collection for the book, Magazines for Kids and Teens, edited by Donald Stoll, for descriptions of the magazines listed. There also is an online index to articles in many children's magazines which may be helpful in finding back articles for student reports in copies your library has archived. There is also an article in School Library Journal, July 2005, with a annotated list of magazine titles. Use HomeAccess to see this article.

Toddlers and preschoolers

·         Baby Bug (1-3)
·         Click (ages 3-7)
·         Ladybug (2-6)
·         Sesame Street (2-6)
·         Your Big Backyard (3-6)
·         Wild Animal Baby (12 mos.-3) Board book style for youngest children    

Elementary and Middle School

·         American Girl (Girls 8-12—general topics)
·         Boys Quest (7-12) General interest for boys
·         Chickadee (5-9) Nature oriented
·         Cricket (7-14) General stories from around the world
·         Dig (9+) Covers wonders of archaeology, paleontology, and earth science
·         Faces (8-14) Explores customs, lifestyles and beliefs around world
·         Hopscotch (6-12) Specific themes to broaden young girls’ interests
·         Kids Discover (8-12) Theme based, explores world around kids
·         Muse (8-14) Science
·         National Geographic World (6-12) Science, adventure, wildlife
·         New Moon (Girls 8-14) International flavor, fostering worldwide unity
·         Nickelodeon (8-12) Modeled after TV program
·         Owl (8-14) Nature, science, environment
·         Ranger Rick (6-17) Nature, environment from Nat’l Wildlife Federation
·         Soccer, Jr. (7-17) All things related to soccer
·         Spider (6-9) General interest
·         Sports Illustrated for Kids (8+) Various sports topics

Teens

Reasons for having magazines in collection

• Great to lure teens into library (even though they might get torn or "wander")
• Good for reluctant readers: little text, colorful
• May appeal to particular audience, especially boys (gaming, sports, racing, collectibles, etc.)

Determining which magazines to add

• Read reviews in SLJ (See July 2005 issue for The Good, the Bad and the Edgy Magazines) www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA621754.html
• See Patrick Jones' Connecting Young Adults and Libraries: A How-To-Do-It Manual for further recommendations (in MHLS Prof. Collection)
• Check with local bookstores to see which titles sell best
• Talk to teens in library or to school librarians
• Try subscription for year, revisit usage annually
• Balance interest vs. what may be recommended in the library literature but not circulate

Types of magazines that appeal to teens

• Fashion: Seventeen, ELLEGirl, Cosmo Girl, Teen Vogue
• Sports: Thrasher, Transworld Skateboarding, Transworld Snowboard, Sports illustrated, ESPN Magazine, Slam, WWE Smackdown
• News & Entertainment: Teen People, Tiger Beat, Teen Beat, Mad, Wizard (comics), Twist, J-14, NY Times Upfront, Entertainment Weekly (broad appeal to adults, too), Black Girl, Right On! (African-American pop culture)
• Music & Culture: Spin, Rolling Stone, Vibe, Black Beat, Alternative Press, Punk Planet, Young Money
• Gaming: PC Gamer (computer games), Electronic Gaming Monthly (console games), Dragon (role playing), Nintendo Power
• Literary: Cicada, New Moon, Teen Voice, Teen Ink (submit writing), Realms of Fantasy
• For guys: Men's Journal, Men's Health
• Gay/lesbian: The Advocate
• Ethnic: Latina, Jvibe (Jewish)
• Christian: Guideposts Sweet 16, Brio (younger age), Brio & Beyond (16+)
• Manga-style magazines: Shonen Jump (boys), Shoho Beat (girls)
• Teen Voices