Magazine Mania
New magazines are targeting everybody from teens to toddlers (and their folks). Here's a look at 15 of the latest titles
Jana Fine and Molly Kinney -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2000
Not all that long ago, children and young adults had virtually no choices when they reached for a kid-friendly magazine. Now, it seems as if there's a slickly produced magazine waiting for kids of every age and interest. The growth of youth-oriented magazines has, in fact, increased steadily over the past quarter century, but never as fervently as in the past few years. The lure, not surprisingly, is money.
According to a national survey by Teen Research Unlimited, a market-research firm outside Chicago, last year teenagers' total income exceeded $124 billion. (For the record, teenage girls spent $91 per week, and their male counterparts doled out $87 per week.) Not only do today's adolescents have a lot of disposable loot, but their age group (more precisely, ages 12 through 19) is the fastest-growing demographic group in the country. Small wonder, then, that the heaviest concentration of new magazines is aimed at teen tastes.
Entertainment magazines like Cosmopolitan and People have been quick to create 'junior' versions of themselves, such as Cosmogirl and Teen People. And news publishers, with an eye to cultivating future readers, have also gotten into the act--discovering success (and a captive audience) in the classroom. News magazines for grades six and up, such as Teen Newsweek, Time for Kids, New York Times Upfront, and Kids' Wall Street News, have the same vibrancy (and sometimes the same format) as their parent publications but are geared to making current events palatable to young appetites.
Magazine publishers have also unearthed another gold mine: the upwardly mobile, overachieving parents of young children. Baby-boomers' fixation on giving their offspring every advantage has spurred the creation of new children's publications, such as Spider and Babybug, a self-described 'boardbook magazine' for toddlers. Many of these new magazines for young children also reflect today's kids' preference for skimpy, info-byte articles and snappy, high-powered graphics. For better or worse, these new magazines are already challenging the popularity of longstanding children's magazines, such as Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, and Highlights for Children, with their relatively simple, naive layouts.
We've also noticed that as many library budgets have shrunk and the demand for popular materials has grown, librarians are looking for magazines that are both educational and entertaining. In other words, the traditional distinction between recreational, or browsing, magazines, on one hand, and educational/literary magazines, on the other, is fast becoming a thing of the past. Publishers of traditional quality magazines that libraries have subscribed to for years are now scrambling to present the same information with more glitter and gloss. Witness, for example, the metamorphosis of publications like Cobblestone and Odyssey. They have retained their intellectual integrity while reinventing themselves with bright colors, illustrated borders, and streamlined articles.
What follows, then, is a look at 15 new (or, in some cases, substantially redesigned) magazines. Although this group of reviews barely scratches the surface of what's available for children and young adults, we hope it will help you make some sense out of the growing, and often bewildering, array of kids' magazines. (For examples of recommended magazine collections for children and young adults go to The Best Basic Magazine Collections.)
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Archaeology's Dig, published bimonthly since 1999 by the Archaeological
Institute of America, 135 William Street, New York, NY 10038. $19.97. Web
address: dig.archaeology.org.
The editors of this eye-catching magazine for 8- to 12-year-olds deserve a pat on the proverbial back. Their respect for and understanding of children's curiosity is stellar--and so is their treatment of potentially complex topics. Archaeology's Dig relies on clever integration of text, color photos, and drawings to get its point across. Because of those illuminating layouts, young readers will often be able to grasp sophisticated concepts with very little help from grownups. Even kids who think that archaeology is a yawner will have a hard time resisting this magazine. For example, what other magazine do you know of that is able to make a cogent connection between Pokemon characters and dinosaur fossils? Archaeology's Dig is an excellent choice for a browsing collection.
Black Beat, published monthly by
Sterling/McFadden Partnership, 233 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003.
$21.95. Web address: www.blackbeat.com.
Loaded with pictures and succinct, two-page features, Black Beat, which is targeted to African-American teens, gives kids the skinny on their favorite musicians and music, including hip-hop, R&B, and rap. Even though the magazine has been around for ages, it remains vibrant and relevant because it continues to address today's teen interests. All this, and there's not a single fashion spread in sight. Hooray! Hooray!
Cosmogirl, published 10 times a year since
1999 by Hearst Communication, 959 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10019. $14.95. Web
address: www.cosmogirl.com.
Say hello to Cosmo's kid sister. Although it looks just as slick as its older sibling, Cosmogirl doesn't warrant an 'R' rating like big Sis. Each issue of Cosmogirl offers several pleasing, in-depth interviews with celebrities, but its short features on a dizzying number of topics may turn off some teens who want more depth and less breadth. The innovative table of contents tells readers which articles are available on its Web site.
Dream/Girl, published quarterly since 1998 by
Dream/Girl, P.O. Box 639, Carrboro, NC 27510. $10.00. Web address: www.dgarts.com.
Visually, Dream/Girl is as colorless as Jump magazine (reviewed below) is colorful. But don't let the lack of Technicolor fool you: this arts and culture magazine is anything but lackluster. In fact, D/G offers 10-to 15-year-old girls a welcome alternative to the passive presentation of information found in many children's magazines. Its poems, short stories, and personal narratives by young poets and writers explore a variety of situations and emotions and, best of all, the writings encourage girls to explore and express themselves through the written word. There's one more reason this magazine is such a dream: it's completely ad-free.
Explorations, published quarterly since 1999 by Scientific American Inc., 415 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017-1111. $11.80.
The subtitle, 'Science fun for your family,' aptly describes this glossy, informative, family-oriented magazine. And the sterling reputation of its publisher ensures that the articles are accurate, factual, and timely. Explorations accompanies its well-rounded features with a winning combination of color photos and drawings, detailed instructions, and listings of additional resources and activities. Although its advertising is aimed at adults, its articles are carefully geared to 8- to 12-year-olds and their caregivers.
Footsteps, published five times per year by Cobblestone Publishing Co., 30 Grove Street, Suite C, Peterborough, NH 03458. $23.95.
Every issue of Footsteps is devoted to one particular aspect of African-American history. And every issue is chock-full of color drawings and maps, color and black-and-white photos, enlightening articles and activities, children's entries, and a 'More About' section that highlights books, media, and Web sites. In addition to its obvious educational value, Footsteps is a pleasure to read and presents its information in a visually pleasing format.
Jump,
published eight times a year since 1998 by Welder Publications Inc., 21100 Erwin
Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. $15.90. Web address: www.jumponline.com.
Okay, Jump is trendy and image conscious. But what sets this magazine apart from many of its beauty-is-only-skin-deep competitors is that Jump offers articles about role models that realistically reflect teens and their world. Jump also avoids overdoing the fashion coverage the way a lot of fashion-obsessed magazines do; instead, it offers a broad range of topics that will appeal to younger teens as well as older ones. The magazine may also be used as a welcoming invitation to those awkward adolescents who are ready to leave the children's department behind and enter the young adult/adult department.
Latingirl, published bimonthly since 1999 by
Latingirl Magazine, P.O. Box 652, Hoboken, NJ 070300625. $14.95. Web address: www.latingirlmag.com.
Latingirl covers education, fashion, entertainment, and relationships--the same territory a lot of other teen magazines cover, right? But there's an important difference: while its topics may be familiar, Latingirl's editorial treatment is distinctly sensitive to Hispanics and their culture. Dating, for example, is discussed with an emphasis on Hispanic parents' attitudes, rather than on Anglo parents' perspectives. LG's articles, which are written in English with just a touch of Spanish, also often highlight Hispanic role models. Unlike many other magazines, the sheer volume of Latingirl's advertising doesn't dwarf its editorial content. Also, its ads show photos of girls with a variety of body types--not just the anorexic, suntanned shapes favored by many beauty and fashion magazines.
MXG (Built for Girls) and FHM (For Him Magazine)
are published monthly, P.O. Box 10420, Canoga Park, CA 91309-1420. $9.97 charter
subscription. MXG Web address: www.mxgonline.com. FHM Web address: www.fhmus.com.
These magazines are slick, glossy, ad-laden, and oozing with 'body beautiful' content. They tout themselves as teen reads, but the truth is, they're extremely sophisticated magazines even for older teens. With titles such as 'Spring Break Bonus' and 'Do You Know How to Have Sex?' the articles are often flip and superficial, And while some teens initially may be attracted to MXG and FHM because of their heavy-duty advertising content, we predict that most readers will soon return to their old magazine favorites.
SuperTeen, published monthly by PriMedia, 470 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10017. $21.95.
SuperTeen has been kicking around libraries for years--and during much of that time, it has been stolen about as often as a fully loaded Chevy Camaro. With the magazine's emphasis on posters and its centerfolds of teen music and movie idols, it's a favorite of the 10- to 13-year-old set, who frequently ask for it. But given ST's short shelf life, we recommend that library users purchase their own individual subscriptions. (The same goes for Teen and Bop.)
Teen People, 10 issues per year since 1998, published by Time Inc.,
Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020-1393. $14.77.
Web address: www.teenpeople.com.
Teen People is almost an exact replica of the enormously popular People magazine--except, of course, junior is out to conquer the 11- to 18-year-old market and is published less frequently. Like its text-light parent, TP is heavy on photography and short on copy. But to its credit, Teen People doesn't play gender favorites, and it's culturally inclusive. Given the popularity of People magazine, Teen People is practically a must for a browsing collection. (TP is also available in Spanish.)
TeenStyle, published bimonthly since 2000 by
H&S Media, 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 120, Bannockbum, IL 60015. $24.95. Web
address: www.teenstylemag.com.
This recent entry into the teen-fashion market has a few unique things going for it. For starters, it devotes an entire issue to one topic (for example, everything you'd ever want to know about the prom). TeenStyle also offers a very comprehensive special edition on beauty tips for hair and make-up. TS seamlessly integrates its articles with its numerous ads, which to our way of thinking is never a good thing. We sometimes had a hard time figuring out where the articles ended and the ads began. While not necessarily an essential purchase for libraries, TeenStyle may become a frequently-asked-for title by style-conscious teens. At least that's what its publisher is banking on: a big initial marketing push is aimed at creating an unusually high demand for TS.
The 21st Century: Written Entirely by Teens for Teens, published monthly since 1989 by the Young Authors Foundation, mail to 21st Century, P.O. Box 30, Newton, MA 02461. $25.00.
The 21st Century is a staple in many school libraries, but it's not as well known in the public library community. Its newspaper format is chock-full of stories, poems, art reviews, and artwork produced by teens from across the nation. It also has a lot of handy information about colleges.
Twist, published 10 times per year since 1996 by Heinrich Bauer Publishing, L.P., 270 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 07632. $13.95. Web address: //209.102.104.226/Default.htm.
Twist is everything a 12- to 15-year-old girl could ask for: it's glossy, gossipy, chatty, and popular. It also bears a resemblance to Seventeen magazine, with its short articles, color photos, and integrated advertising. But Twist provides a pleasant and unexpected, er, twist: it's eminently more readable than others of its ilk.
WOW (Wild Outdoor World) issued five times per year since 1999 by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Outdoor World, P.O. Box 6249, Missoula, MO 59807-5437. $14.95.
At last, a kids' magazine that adeptly drags the great outdoors into the comfy, small indoors. Created for capable second-through fifth-grade readers, WOW's mission is to instill tomorrow's conservationists with an appreciation for and understanding of nature and wildlife. The publication's large fonts, color photos and drawings, and terrific layouts make this an ideal magazine for whole-language science curriculums. And WOW offers another boon: its advertising is almost nonexistent.
Jana Fine is youth services manager for the Clearwater (FL) Public Library System. Molly Kinney is consultant for the Children, Parents and Family Literacy Department of Technical and Adult Education in Atlanta, GA.
