MAD Magazine

Magazine Description
MAD Magazine is America's longest running humor magazine, published quarterly. It can be found online at www.madmag.com. MAD offers satirical takes on current news items in politics, sports, and entertainment. Each physical issue contains only a few ads. The January 2010 issue contained columns on the 20 dumbest people, events and things 2008, as well as other jokes and gags based around news stories.

Critical Evaluation
MAD magazine is a staple source of satire about current events. Readers who read this magazine may actually go to other, more reputable news sources to find out more about the sources of the jokes that are included. For example, the January 2010 issue poked fun at many 2009 new events, including the Henry Gates arrest, Sarah Palin's resignation as the governor of Alaska, angry town hall meetings, and the Blagojevich scandal in Illinois. While not all gags are based around politics--MAD makes jabs at Jon and Kate Gosselin and Kanye West as well--the magazine uses a surprisingly wide variety of news items in its comics and features.

Reader’s Annotation
Do you like jokes? How about smart jokes about current events?

Publishing Information
Mad Magazine is copyrighted by E.C. Publications in New York. This company also publishes DC comic books. Critic Roger Ebert wrote: "I learned to be a movie critic by reading Mad magazine... Mad's parodies made me aware of the machine inside the skin—of the way a movie might look original on the outside, while inside it was just recycling the same old dumb formulas. I did not read the magazine, I plundered it for clues to the universe. Pauline Kael lost it at the movies; I lost it at Mad magazine" (Foreword to Mad About the Movies, Mad Books.; quoted at Wikipedia).

Genre
Magazine.

Curriculum Ties
None.

Booktalking Ideas
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 6-12. Teens who are aware of news and current events may find it more enjoyable than those who aren't.

Challenge Issues
Drugs, language, and sexual innuendo.

I included this magazine because it was recommended as a good online 'zine for teens by the St. Charles Public Library in Illinois.

Skateboarder Magazine

Magazine Information
Skateboarder Magazine is a magazine geared toward teen boys (although girls who like to skateboard will also be very interested in the content of this magazine). It contains features on famous skaters, news, and photos. The magazine website, http://skateboardermag.com/, also includes videos. As an example of some of the types of features, the February 2010 issue included an article on a trip the Andes Mountains, a 10-page interview with the pro skater Guru Khalsa, a comparison of skaters from France and England, and reviews of different boards. A recurring feature is "15 Things You Didn't Know About..."--the February issue's column was about interviewing. Ads in the magazine are geared toward merchandise teens would want to own, such as Skull Candy headphones, and skate/surf/snow brands such as Circa, CCS, Volcom, and Gravis.

Critical Evaluation
While many adults may look down on magazines like Skateboarder, the articles are all surprisingly dense and will help teens build reading skills that may transfer over to reading other materials, such as books, and which will help teens in their lives as they mature. Although the majority of the articles are not very interesting to one who doesn't follow the sport, they will appeal to those who have a little more knowledge about skateboarding.

Reader’s Annotation
Check out these sweet articles about your favorite pro skaters and brands!

Author Information

Skateboarder was first published as a quarterly magazine in 1964. However, after only four issues, it was discontinued until the big skateboarding boom of the 1970s, and became a monthly publication in 1977. In his first editorial during the 1970s, editor John Severson wrote: "Today's skateboarders are founders in this sport – they're pioneers – they are the first. There is no history in Skateboarding – its being made now – by you. The sport is being molded and we believe that doing the right thing now will lead to a bright future for the sport. Already, there are storm clouds on the horizon with opponents of the sport talking about ban and restriction." Well-known for its excellent photography and editorial content, it is sometimes called the "Bible" of skateboarding magazines (source).

Skateboarder is copyrighted to Source Interlink Media, a leading publisher of "enthusiast media" for consumers to research products that appeal to their various lifestyles. Other publications include magazines as diverse as Soap Opera Digest, Motor Trend, Off Road, Motorcycle Cruiser, Dressage, Surfer, Powder, and Stereophile. They can be found on the web at http://www.sourceinterlinkmedia.com/.

Genre
Magazines

Curriculum Ties
None

Booktalking Ideas
Do you like to skateboard? How do you find out more about your favorite pro skaters?

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 7+

Challenge Issues
Discussions of drugs, alcohol, and sex, especially in interviews, as well as crude language.

I included this magazine because it is popular selection from the teen magazine rack at my local library.

Teen Ink Magazine

Publication Summary
Teen Ink is a journal/magazine dedicated to publishing a variety of works written by teenagers. A print version is published monthly from September to June, with a yearly summer hiatus. It also appears online at www.teenink.com. Multiple genres and types of writing are included: author interviews, original art, educator of the year essays, college essays and reviews, articles on the environment, health, and community service, poetry, nonfiction, point of view essays, and fiction. Teens also review books, movies, TV shows, and music.

Critical Evaluation
This unique publication has been in operation for 21 years in order to give teens an outlet for their writing and a means of publishing their creative work. The work I have seen in this publication is mature and thought-provoking.

Reader’s Annotation
Take a minute to see what other teens throughout the country think! Maybe you'll get some ideas for writing of your own.

Author Information
Teen Ink is published by The Young Authors Foundation, based out of Newton, MA. In their own words, "the Young Authors Foundation, Inc., founded in 1989, is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit foundation providing a unique and far-reaching reading, communications and writing experience for teenagers. Teen Ink, the foundation's monthly print magazine, reaches hundreds of thousands of students in public and private high schools and middle schools across the country. The foundation also publishes the Poetry Journal three times a year and maintains an online version with daily features to allow additional teens an opportunity to be published" (Teen Ink FAQ).The senior editor is Stephanie Meyer (no relation to the author of Twilight!).

An article at the National Writing Project website, which is dedicated to improving writing and learning in schools, says that along with "providing a forum where teens can express themselves through poetry, essays, stories, reviews, art, and photographs[,] Teen Ink also sponsors contests encouraging students to write about such topics as creative environmental solutions or volunteering in the community. But, unlike some magazines, Teen Ink does not sponsor these contests primarily to boost circulation, but rather to encourage the magazine's interaction with its young readers and writers." Articles posted on the Teen Ink website can get more than 400 comments, and this interaction allows readers and writers to engage in positive dialogue about their work, a useful skill for later in life.

Genre
Magazine

Curriculum Ties
English classes: creative writing

Booktalking Ideas
Do you like to write? Do you want to read what other teens are writing?

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 6-12.

Challenge Issues
Some discussion of drinking, sex, drugs.

I included this magazine because it is sponsored in part by VOYA. I thought that if VOYA approved it, it must be good!