Whoops! New French

trains too bigfor stations

Do-it-yourself carpenters are used to the old jokes about the fellow who builds a boat in his basement and then discovers it’s too big to fi t through the door.

The joke isn’t so funny, however, when it’s not about one boat that won’t fi t through the basement door, but about 2,000 trains that can’t fi t in their railroad stations.

That’s the situation in France, where the government’s railroad operator ordered 2,000 new trains and then discovered that they are too wide for many of the platforms in stations they are supposed to serve.

The problem was that the company that actually runs the railroads gave the group that ordered the trains the measurements for the more modern stations, which are not average. So far, the task of widening all the older platforms has cost about $110 million. photo/Claude Truong-Ngoc

2013

ColoradoKids CK ReporterMegan Lindsey,

Fort Collins

crushinG Fairytale cliches“My problem,” mused

author Soman Chainani, “was I

thought the villain was the much cooler character.”

When he was growing up in Miami, Chainani was that kid who destroyed puzzles, knocked over LEGO towers, and kicked down sand castles on the beach.

And when he watched the Disney movies he loved, his favorite character tended to be the villain.

As he grew older, Chainani real-ized that these Disney fi lms were not the real stories; that fairytales were much more sinister.

His studies of fairytales at Harvard, where he majored in English, combined with his desire to show children the real stories, manifested into a book, “The School for Good and Evil.”

In “The School for Good and Evil,” Soman Chainani spun a dark tale that utterly crushes all cliches and blurs the line between good and evil into near nonexistence.

Then, in the second install-ment which came out in April, “A

World Without Princes,” Chain-ani explored the roles of women in fairytales, while recapturing the magic of his fi rst novel.

His characters, Sophie -- the pretty, pink-loving girl who was dropped in the School for Evil -- and Agatha -- the gloomy girl in the School for Good -- even landed him a movie deal.

To fi nd out more and get in-formation about how you could audition to be in the movie, visit schoolforgoodandevil.com.

Chainani has no concerns about the movie, except that it might be not as interesting as the book.

“The problem is that it’s very diffi cult to get a movie right in Hollywood because of how many people are involved,” he told me, “so you end up making something a little bland.”

But he’s writing the screenplay, and since he studied fi lm at Co-lumbia University, he’s confi dent that it will stay true to the book.

One good thing about our economy is that food has become quite

affordable.A new report points out that,

in 1930, Americans spent a quarter of their take-home pay on food.

Today, it’s less than a tenth. Food is cheap and plentiful!

But is that a good thing?What the study was looking

at is the connection between cheap junk food and the prob-lem of obesity in America.

A lot of that less expensive food is full of sugar, corn syrup, starches, salt and other ingredients that don’t promote good health and nutrition.

Much of the junk food we eat is in the form of fast food, both the grab-it-at-the-drive-thru kind and the kind you can toss in a microwave at home.

Reminding people about healthy choices could help, re-searchers said, but cheap, quick eating has become a national habit, and not a good one.

Photo/Wikipedia Commons

does aFFordaBle Foodharm our health?

By Lexi Greenawalt,13, a CK Reporter from Evergreen

Telling tales Soman Chainani talks to students at Crest View Elementary School in Boulder Photo by Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt

stations, which are not average. So far, the task of widening all the older platforms has cost about $110 million. photo/Claude Truong-Ngoc

May 27, 2014

For Strawberry Shortcake and her friends there is always something happen-

ing around their town.

The DVD movie, “Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Myster-ies,” shows the daily problems that the citizens of Berry Bitty encounter.

“Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Mysteries” includes three twenty minute clips (“Nothing To Fear But Berries Them-selves”, “Where, Oh Where Has My Blueberry Gone?”, and “Lost And Found”) about Strawberry and her friends.

The movie has hints of mys-tery and suspense as the girls deal with different scenarios.

Every episode has strong messages that younger girls can

relate to. In the first episode there is

mention of being afraid of the dark.

That was a big fear of mine when I was a Strawberry Shortcake fan, so addressing it was a great addition to the story.

I think that this film has some really good examples of real life expe-riences that may help those who watch it.

The anima-tion is great. All the characters are relatable and good role models as in other Strawberry Shortcake shows.

I reviewed this 66-minute movie with my six-year-old cousin who enjoyed the second

and third episodes more than the first, but would enjoy watch-ing it again.

From my perspective, all three clips were very clear and there was no confu-sion on the plots or lessons that were being por-trayed.

I would defi-nitely recom-mend this movie for girls ages four and older, as there are some messages that a three year old might not understand.

This is a great movie if you are

going on a plane or just want something for your little girl to do.

Go and enjoy the adventure and thrill of Strawberry Short-cake Berry Bitty Mysteries!

Good choice for youngsters’ movie time

How can your life go from perfectly perfect to so totally unnormal in just

one day?

“Steering Toward Normal,” by Rebecca Petruck, is a truly wonderful book…

…for kids twelve and older. Because “Steering Toward

Normal” contains some adult topics, kids younger than twelve probably won’t understand and enjoy it as much.

But people twelve and older should not hesitate to read this notable novel.

Diggy Lawson is a normal

eighth grader with a next-to-normal life.

He has picked a great calf to compete with at the State Fair and his dad is a cool guy.

Plus, he’ll see a lot of the girl he likes at 4-H, an organization he belongs to.

Yep, eighth grade is looking up, up, up!

Until a classmate’s mom dies and it is discovered that his dad is Diggy’s dad.

Suddenly, Diggy has a half-brother messing up his life by threatening his chances of win-ning at the State Fair and even horning in on his girl.

Will this messed-up family ever manage to steer towards their own kind of normal?

“Steering Toward Normal” is a thought-provoking, deep, book that will leave every

reader wanting more. It makes you realize that the

word “family” is more than just the dictionary definition of a group of people who are related to each other.

“Steering Toward Normal” is not only fascinating fiction; it is also full of information about 4-H, livestock, and the Min-nesota State Fair, so if those are things you are interested in learning about, this is the book for you!

“Steering Toward Normal” is guaranteed to capture the full attention of any reader, no matter how against reading they might be.

This book deserves to be put on shelves all over America, and when it is, you should definitely read it! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

The review of the Strawberry Shortcake DVD on this page says it’s good for younger kids. Imagine that you have to babysit a preK youngster for an entire afternoon. Look through today’s paper for ways to keep that young child amused. (But don’t forget: Babysitting means keeping the kids you’re in charge of out of trouble -- not getting them into it!)

Beyond these four pages

What happens when ‘normal’ isn’t?

By Megan Goldin,14, a CK Reporter from Highlands Ranch

By Cara Dulin ,12, a CK Reporter from Castle Rock

Colorado Kidsis produced by

Denver Post Educational ServicesExecutive Editor: Dana Plewka

dplewka@denverpost.comCK Editor: Mike Peterson

coloradokidseditor@gmail.comWe welcome your comments.

For tools to extend the learning in this feature, look under“eEdition lessons” at:

www.ColoradoNIE.com

eEditions of the Post arefree of charge for classroom use.Contact us for information on all

our programs.

Denver Post Educational Services101 W. Colfax Ave.Denver CO 80202

(303) 954-3974(800) 336-7678

BaBysitter’s resource

For many years, Thailand was the country in South-east Asia that seemed to

have the fewest problems.It had been an independent na-

tion for several hundred years, is the only country in the region never ruled by Europeans, and its king gave up absolute power in 1932.

But the past decade has been rough for Thailand, with several coups and changes in the govern-ment of what is supposed to be a democracy.

The latest came just last week, when the army first took the place of police, but then forced the government to resign and added strict rules to control the nation.

There is now a curfew, with jail terms and fines for anyone caught out on the streets be-tween 10 at night and five a.m.

There is also a five-person lim-it on gatherings. Any more than that is an illegal assembly.

TV and radio stations have

been shut down except for broad-casting official statements.

Part of the problem may be that most of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s support has come from the rural countryside, while her government was opposed mostly by people in the cities, particularly the capital, Bangkok.

Not only are the city people more visible as a group, even though they are actually fewer in number, but they have great-er incomes and more powerful friends, including the leadership of the army.

In the city of Bangkok, protes-tors were gathered, demanding that the government resign.

Just outside the city, rural peo-ple were gathered as well, to show support for the government they had helped to elect.

The army broke up both groups, one gently, the other not.

The question now is, will the army restore democracy, or is Thailand headed for more trouble?

thailand in turmoil as army takes control

Youth Journalism Dayfor 4th-8th grade students

Friday, July 18 • 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.Student Cost for the Day: $50 (includes breakfast & lunch) Maximum 75 students. Here’s a great chance for budding

journalists, writers and photographers to spend the day with professionals learning about:

What makes a good story • Getting ready for an interview Asking good questions • Writing tips & Taking good photographs

Register today! Go toColoradoNIE.com for a registration form

Call303-954-3974with questions.

Thai soldier helps protestors in Bangkok carry away their be-longings from a demonstration area where they had been call-ing for the Thai government to resign. The army also removed pro-government protest camps outside the city, but not with as many smiles.

AP Photo/ Wason Wanichakorn

ck Kids and adults can find live links to information about stories in Colorado Kids at www.ColoradoNIE.com

SudokuRules: Every row across, every column down and each of the six smaller boxes must contain numerals 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, one time and one time only. The solution to this week’s puzzle is on Page 4.

3 1

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6 4

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JB Bernstein (John Hamm) is at it again, this time, on his way to India to find a Major

League Baseball pitcher.

Yes, the true-life story turned into a movie is here: “The Mil-lion Dollar Arm.”

Bernstein’s business as a sports agent is slipping, so he is piecing together ideas to save it.

His latest plan is to go to cricket-crazy India to find two kids who have the potential to become Major League Base-ball pitchers.

He travels to India and sets up a contest to see who can pitch the ball at over 80 mph with extra points if a strike is thrown.

The prize? A million dollars and a trip to the USA to try out in the MLB.

They find two village boys who have never played baseball before.

Rinku (Suraj Sharma) wins the contest and the runner up,

Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) also travels to the US.

JB knows moving to America will change their lives but surprisingly, their staying with him changes his life also!

In a whole new country, the boys are in a culture shock and aren’t playing to their potential.

JB, Rinku, and Dinesh go through a lot together, but he has only six months to train them and the day of the tryouts arrives with a bang. If they

perform well, MLB teams will sign them.

I really enjoyed this movie.

Director Craig Gil-lespie made the message of the movie very clear: Baseball (or any sport) should not be played just as a business; it should be fun.

Even if you don’t play baseball, you

will enjoy “Million Dollar Arm” for the humor and the cultural differences shown.

I recommend this movie for all ages even though there is a touch of romance.

The coolest part is that this is a true story of making dreams come true through hard work, no matter how impossible they seem to others.

sports, culture, dreams, humor

By Mihir Mahale,12, a CK Reporter from Highlands Ranch

Sensory processing disorder is when the one’s brain re-ceives messages from the

body that are either stronger or weaker than the sensation that was experienced.

The Sensory Therapies and Research Center in Green-wood Village, founded by Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, the author of “Sensational Kids,” offers a playground for individuals who are have SPD, as well as feeding disorders, autism, ADHD and other developmental disorders.

The playground is con-structed to be a therapeutic environment so people can interact with one another in a safe environment, improve their sensory skills and have fun while playing!

It differs from an average playground because it offers

specialty equipment such as handles on swings that repre-sent flutes and play music when you swing, and slides with roll-ing bars.

There are parabolic dishes where someone can sit in the middle of a curved dish on one side of the playground and someone else can sit in front of another dish on the other side of the playground and both people can hear each other even when they whisper!

There is also a see-saw which not only increases body awareness but contains a clear container in the middle which contains balls which move as the see-saw tilts and plays music.

The playground is usually only offered to patients at the STAR Center but, from now until October, the playground will be open to the public every Thursday from noon to 3.

All children will need to have an adult present and a signed waiver to participate.

Get ready for a full sensory experience!

sense-aBle playGround

By Sierra Zizzo,14, a CK Reporter from Highlands Ranch

Photo by Sierra Zizzo

Madhur Mittal, left, as Dinesh and Suraj Sharma as Rinku.

Youth-written stories that appear here also appear on

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