Grade 8

When an election is coming up, you usually expect a face-off between the two major US political parties—Democrats and Republicans. It's easy to forget that there are numerous minor… Read More →

When optimistic orphan Pollyanna is sent to live with her stern Aunt Polly in the dismal town of Beldingsville, the sweet-natured eleven year old relies on "the Glad Game" to boost her… Read More →

An ancient city unearthed… In the 1730s, Charles of Bourbon, king of the area around present-day Naples, Italy, learned that local peasants were finding marble and other ancient objects when… Read More →

On March 19, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina became Pope Francis, the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. His election to the papacy was notable in many ways. He became the… Read More →

On May 8, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost left the papal conclave—a gathering of the College of Cardinals to select the new pope of the Catholic Church—as Pope Leo XIV. He is the first Read More →

Thirteen-year-old Satoshi Matsumoto spent the last three years living in Atlanta where he was the star of his middle-school baseball team—a slugger with pro potential, according to his coach. Read More →

Poppy is a special dog! He is a giant of a dog being a double-sized Labrador. His dad was Chico from California and his mother Hollywood originated from Alaska. He was a special pup who… Read More →

Sammy Perez has to make it to the big leagues. After his teammate's career-ending injury, the Roadrunners decided to play in a wood bat tournament to protect their pitchers. And while Sammy… Read More →

Phones have come a long way since Alexander Graham Bell's first telephone call in 1876, a moment that changed the course of technology's history. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's series of… Read More →

When Zach Thomas broke his wrist going into the boards early in the hockey season, he thought he was done for the year. But as his Cochrane, Alberta, Pee Wee team gets ready for the… Read More →

River is teased about her Indigenous heritage as a young girl, and she struggles with her identity. When she travels to spend the summer with her Indigenous father and grandmother, she finds… Read More →

Listen! For the song of Owen Thorskard has a second verse. Every dragon slayer owes the Oil Watch a period of service, and young Owen was no exception. What made him different was that he… Read More →

Look quickly and you might just see one of nature’s insect heroes on the hunt—praying mantises! With their incredible hunting skills, mantises help rid farms and gardens of insect pests that… Read More →

Is your style • crisp and put-together? • a creative mix of solid colors and lively patterns? • equally suited to the classroom and the beach? Then you're a follower of the preppy look!… Read More →

American presidents have come from all walks of life. Some have had a lot of experience campaigning for office, while others have had almost none. In fact, the nation's first president—George Read More →

Growing up in a Quaker family in the South in 1830, Levi Coffin did not support slavery, but he was exposed to its atrocities. Convinced that every person deserved to be free, Levi began… Read More →

Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters need husbands, according to their mother. When Mr. Bingley, a handsome, wealthy bachelor, moves in nearby and his equally suitable friends come for… Read More →

Prince Rogers Nelson wrote his first song at age seven, and soon taught himself to play the piano, drums, and guitar. In the early 1980s, Prince wondered how to make his music—a mix of pop,… Read More →

On April 29, 2011, the whole world watched as Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton exchanged marriage vows. This royal wedding was one of the most anticipated events in England in… Read More →

McNeil Island in Washington state was the home of the last prison island in the US, accessible only by air or sea. It was also home to about fifty families, including Colleen Frakes' when she Read More →