June 28 , 2016

CK Reporter of the Week Kylene Santoro, Morrison Thousands ock to Comic Con

an energy sword from “Halo.” Artwork is another huge part of Comic Con; this includes artist and comic strip writers. One example, “Finnegan’s Field,” a new comic strip by Drew Litton, who featured his work at a Comic Con booth. Litton is a local artist who draws sport comic strips for ESPN and was well-known for his cartoons in the Rocky Mountain News. His new strip is about a boy and his dog. “My readers have always meant the world to me. I’m so glad they continue to follow my cartoons in print, online and on social media,” he said. Dustin Resch is another local artist showing off his skills at Comic Con, drawing diff erent characters from throughout pop culture. Some artists who are a part of the Pop Culture Classroom, which is based in Denver, taught kids how to make comics. One dad comes every year to Comic Con with his son. He says sometimes it’s hard to fi nd something they are both interested in, but they together love learning fun things from Pop Culture Classroom. Future cartoonists can get their start with a session in the Pop Culture Classroom’s Kids’ Lab Photo by Thomas Krumholz A big part of Comic Con is Celebrity Summit, where his year more than 114,000 people went to the many famous names come and sign autographs and Denver Comic Convention, a three-day family get their pictures taken. Tfriendly event that displays the best of pop A few celebrity sightings included , the culture, whether it is “Superman” the comic series or creator of , Karl Urban who is Bones the TV show “Firefl y.” from Star Trek, and John Rhys-Davies, Gimli from Lord Maxwell Jaynes who came to the Comic Con for the of the Rings. fi rst time this year, said, “Being able to go and be a part Other celebrities are authors showing off their new of a community, talking and relating about costumes books. One of these authors was Matthew Wolf, the and stuff is really great!” writer of the Ronin Saga; he was selling the fi rst two The event started in 2012 and has only grown since. books of his series. There are so many aspects at this event that anyone I’m halfway through the fi rst one and give it two can enjoy being there. thumbs up. One cool thing about Comic Con is the elaborate The 2016 Comic Convention was a blast and a costumes people wear, also known as cosplay. People mixture of wonderful pop culture. come in full costumes and show them off at Comic I encourage all to go to it next year, to meet the Con. friendly authors and celebrities, buy cool toys and Some great examples of this are clone troopers from clothes, and see beautiful artwork and cosplay. Star Wars or a full metal Dalek from Dr. Who. If you aren’t too interested in cosplay, you can also buy a lot of incredible merchandise there. There is the Tower of Shirts, which is exactly what it By Thomas Krumholz, sounds like. You can buy clothing with references to 14, a CK Reporter from Denver your favorite comics, movies, or shows. Other merchandise includes the sword shop. You Cosplay is a fun part of any Comic Con, and can range from can buy real metal swords from video games or TV simple superhero costumes to elaborate pieces like this shows like the Master Sword from “Legend of Zelda” or Dalek from Dr. Who Photo by Thomas Krumholz A young girl living in a very diffi cult time rankie, the protagonist of “A Tiny Piece of Sky,” by Shawn K. Even though the book is set in 1939, there are still many Stout, is the youngest of three sisters, which she fi nds to aspects that are very relevant today. Fbe awful. For example, racism is a prevalent theme throughout the First off , she cannot go to Aunt Dottie’s house for the summer book. like Joan, the second oldest. I would highly recommend this book to fans of all genres. Or be called “Princess” and viewed as perfect like her However, I would say this book is probably best suited for oldest sister. kids 11 and older, due to some of the political aspects of the Plus, she is stuck working in the kitchen of her father’s new novel, as well as the racism and war topics that may require restaurant instead of seating guests, or driving tractors. background knowledge. So, while trying to prove she is capable of more to her At 318 pages long, “A Tiny Piece of Sky” is a book that should parents, she discovers more about the war that is starting defi nitely be on your summer reading list. in Europe. People are accusing her father of working for the Nazis, because his parents were German. Frankie becomes curious when her father comes home late By Lauren Walters, at night and is seemingly keeping secrets. 13, a CK Reporter To add on top of everything else, kids are picking on Frankie from Denver because of her German heritage. “A Tiny Piece of Sky” seamlessly blends historic fi ction with mystery. This book defi nitely has something for everyone. HEY COLORADO KIDS! Visit YourHub.com/nextgen for more stories, movie reviews, school news, blogs and polls. Join the conversation today.

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C   ,     ! The Denver Post • 1 BFG film faithful to Roald Dahl’s novel

e is in holding my breath in Dream anticipation. “WCountry. This movie made me This is where all dreams laugh out loud more is beginning.” times than I could My own dreams count! finally came true: Roald I especially loved Dahl’s book “The BFG” when the BFG treated has been transformed the Queen of England into a magical movie with Frobscottle, a that many will fall in carbonated drink that love with. the BFG makes, in Imagine a world which the bubbles go beyond the one that we down instead of up, know of today: a world creating “music” when of giants and dreams. it comes out the wrong The Big Friendly Giant end of your body. (Mark Rylance) calls this The BFG had a home, but even living at language of his own, home can be tough. using words like The BFG is the “runt” “scrumdidilyumcious” of the giants, the and saying “beans” nonhuman eater, a instead of “beings.” disgrace to the “flesh- I also liked that this gobbling” giants. He gets pushed around by all of the larger, meaner giants. movie followed the book very closely and that the characters in the movie were The movie, “The BFG,” brings up the topic of bullying almost exactly like the ones in the book. and shows that it should be stopped. Your favorite book is now in theatres! Don’t miss One day, Sophie (Amanda Root), an orphan girl sees “The BFG!” the BFG. He snatches the girl from her bed and takes Roald Dahl’s book “The BFG” her to Giant Country. has been transformed into a As they get to know one another, they learn that they are equals: two lonely souls. magical movie that many By Natalia Goncharova, Sophie shows the BFG how to stand up for himself will fall in love with. 13, a CK Reporter and not let the giants push him around. from Fort Morgan Together, they work to teach the other giants a lesson, with the help of the queen, of course. “The BFG” is a spectacular movie that I could watch on repeat for days. It is hilarious and heartwarming, and great for an audience of any age. It was truly beautiful and made your heart beat along with the characters’. I had a smile plastered to my face most of the movie; the rest of the time, I was NYSM sequel recaptures original’s magic

title character in the “Harry Potter” movies) is the main criminal. There is a lot of adventure in the movie as some of the best made plans don’t always go as planned, landing the Four Horsemen in unforeseen and dangerous situations. Will they fail or succeed? Do they huddle together and work as a team or tear apart and go their own ways? Do they all survive? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out. The actors do a really great job in this movie. I think each one really fits the personality of the characters that they are portraying. I especially enjoyed the hypnotist, Merritt, because he was funny. I also enjoyed the street magician, Jack. He had good skills, was funny, and had a unique personality. In my opinion, this sequel was better than the first movie. It had a more creative plot and more action. It is rated PG-13, however, I think that it was fine for kids 10 and over. There wasn’t really any sex in it, and there was minimal swearing. ow You See Me 2” is a sequel to “Now Four Horsemen: Merritt (Woody Harrelson), Atlas There was a lot of fighting and action scenes, You See Me.” However, you do not need (Jesse Eisenberg), Jack (Dave Franco), and Lula (Lizzy though. “Nto see the first Caplan). The end of the movie definitely hints that there movie to understand and They are brought could be another sequel. That would be a good idea enjoy this sequel. together to go on for this fan! “Now You See Me 2” has In my opinion this sequel was ,assignments where they a lot of adventure, comedy, better than the first movie. use their skills to protect mystery and, of course, the public. magic. It had a more creative plot Some say they are By Tyler Vanourek , 13, a CK Reporter This movie, at times, and more action. criminals, some say they are from Littleton really gets you to sit on the heroes. edge of your seat. At other Specifically, they are on times it will make you laugh a mission to expose a tech so hard you can barely breathe. company that is up to no good. The story is about a group of magicians called the Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe, who played the Sticky : How do chameleons catch their prey?

he best part of science is being Then there are those crazy eyes third the chameleon’s size. Table to explore things that that stick out from their heads (We’ll pause while you do the seem cool and interesting, and and operate independently, so math to see what that would be like what could be cooler or more that the chameleon can look in for your measurements.) interesting than chameleons? two directions at once. What he and his team found Start with their ability to change But it was the chameleon’s was that mucus on the end of that colors to fit in with the back- quick-firing tongue that raised tongue is 400 times stickier than ground. the curiosity of physicist Pascal human saliva. This lets them hide in plain Damman of the University of Not only that, but it is stickier sight, which is not only good Mons in Belgium. when the prey is moving fast. self-protection from predators The tongue shoots out twice This is not only cool to find out, but also makes it harder for their the length of the chameleon’s but may lead to developing new insect prey to see them. body and can snag prey up to a types of glue. photo/ Norbert Sdunzik

The Denver Post • 2 Smart fun-making marks Mini-Maker Faire he recent Denver Mini Maker Faire was Whatever you draw is basically drawn in a festival at the Denver Museum of plastic. TNature and Science where you could One of the booths was called “Sparkfun!” go to diff erent artists booths and make They had hover pong. It’s an electronic ping souvenirs to take home. pong game, with your hand serving as Elise VanDyne, who calls herself the the paddle. Maker Faire-y, guided me through the fair. The Edibot is a robot that follows whatever She explained how all of the contraptions color you program it to, wherever it goes. worked and why they would be important For example, pick yellow: There was a yellow in industry. plastic ball and if you move the ball, the Edibot She was very helpful: On top of other would move to where the ball was. things, takes her job seriously, and made a The Clouds are clouds that make a fake point of talking with everyone. version of the weather outside. For example, This year was the third annual event. Pinball machine parts you can see make for fascinating fun photo/Ben Vanourek if it is sunny, they part and make rays of sun, if The theme was “Building the Future,” and it is raining, they look all cloudy and make mini there were over 100 diff erent booths, with most focusing on something “STEAM- lightning bolts and make thunder sounds. related,” or Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Making. It tells you the weather before you even go outside. A pin maker, for instance, lets you put in a piece of very thin plastic, a metal pin The Pinball Machine Maker takes apart pinball machines and makes them into and a small sheet of paper that has a design that you want on a pin you can wear. diff erent games, like a horse derby game where you pick your horse number You press, twist and take the pin out, insert a needle, and you have your own among 11 diff erent horses. The light goes over the 11 pieces. When you press the custom pin. buzzer, the light stops on a horse. “Robauto” is a robot company for kids that makes inexpensive, working robots, If you hit the right moment, your horse gets a boost. which you can add personalities to later. They send you a robot, you add batteries, If your timing is off , you give another horse a boost. then you steer it with either your phone or a remote control. First one to the fi nish line wins. I checked out CodeSpire, a coding program that teaches you how to code and make your own games. They have summer camps, and it was very interesting. I also got to use a copper compressing machine. You insert a small square of By Ben Vanourek, copper and push down on the lever, it then compresses your copper and spins it 10, a CK Reporter around. It then has a dent in it. You got to pick what you want the dent to look like. from Littleton Another station was the Geek Derby. Here you got to put together a miniature model car made with pieces that were 3D printed! There was an airpen that is like a glue gun but makes hard, plastic structures. Tea, rubber farmers getting a better deal ri Lanka is an ancient nation that has been However, much of the tea and rubber produc- invaded many times over its thousands tion in Sri Lanka takes place on large planta- Sof years of history, most recently by Great tions, and small farmers who grow tea plants Britain. and rubber trees fi nd it hard to compete with Though that occupation lasted about 130 huge plantations. years, a short time in Sri Lanka’s long life, it In order to help those small farmers, and to brought about a very important agricultural improve Sri Lanka’s agriculture industry, the In- product: Tea. ternational Fund for Agricultural Development, It’s hard to think about the British without tea, a United Nations agency, is providing a $65 mil- and Sri Lanka, or “Ceylon” as it was known in lion grant to assist Sri Lankan farmers. its colonial days, was where the fi nest tea was The Smallholder Tea and Rubber Revitalization grown. Programme (STARR) will help small tea growers Although Sri Lanka became independent improve their farms and their practices in order again in 1948, growing and processing tea to produce more tea. remains one of its most important economic STARR will also help struggling farmers who Above, two women work factors. want to switch from growing food crops and on a tea plantation in Sri Rubber production was also started under the start producing rubber on their land. Lanka, a nation whose British and, while Malaysia is better known for it, IFAD exists to assist farmers in the develop- tea and rubber industries rubber is also an important Sri Lankan export. ing world, and the STARR program will help Sri were an important part In fact, “Ceylon” was one of the fi rst places out- Lanka’s small farmers become a successful part of its history as a British side of South America to produce rubber, from of the economy of a nation that already has one colony and remain vital to seeds smuggled out of Brazil by the British. of the highest incomes in Southeast Asia. its economy Photo/Anjadora

5 4 6 On this day in 1846, Belgian inventor and musician Adolphe Sax patented his invention, the saxophone, so our answers this week will begin with “S.”

6 3 1. Author of the YA novel “Holes”

2. The largest North American grouse, they are native to Colorado and Wyoming

3. The name of this mountain range, which begins in Southern Colorado, translates to 4 2 “Blood of Christ.”

4. Longmont native who stars in “Gravity Falls” and voices Louise on “Bob’s Burgers” 1 4 5. Biblical strongman who lost his strength when his hair was cut. 6. Type of epic told in prose, often about the adventures and travels of Vikings

7. Amphibian that looks like a , but has a smooth, damp-feeling body

3 2 8. Nickname of ESPN football analyst, former local radio personality and All-Pro lineman for the Denver Broncos, Mark Schlereth 3 9. His children’s books include “The Giving Tree,” his volumes of poetry include “Where the Sidewalk Ends”

Rules: Every row across, every column down and each of the six smaller boxes must 10. Nation in the Alps known for clockmaking, chocolate and its banking industry. contain numerals 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, one time and one time only. (answers on Page Four) The solution to this week’s puzzle is on Page 4. Don’t bother looking in the sky for our “second moon” ars has two moons, hasn’t got any and 330 feet across, which would be pretty hard Mmoons, and Earth? Earth has one moon, to see even if it were as close as the Moon. plus maybe another. Maybe more. But it’s about 100 times farther away than the 2016 HO3 is the one that’s in the news right (real) Moon, and is more of a piece of natural now, and is being called “Earth’s second moon.” space junk than an actual satellite of the Earth. What it actually is, is a small asteroid that is just It’s also more of a guest than a member of the trying to orbit the Sun but has somehow become family: 2016 HO3 has been hanging around for a tangled in Earth’s gravitational fi eld. couple of hundred years and will probably hang So, as it goes around the Sun, it keeps getting around for a few centuries more, but, at some dragged back towards Earth. point, it will drift off and we won’t see it again. This means that it also goes around the Earth, There are several such bits of rock following us but not in a very neat orbit and certainly not around from time to time, but it’s really not fair, close enough to be seen with the naked eye. nor is it good science, to compare them to our For one thing, 2016 HO3 is only between 130 faithful old Moon. photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech

The Denver Post • 3 Freehand Chapter Seven -- The British Are Coming! Our story so far: General Brown has given Caleb the task of drawing the various points at Sackets Harbor where the British might try to land their troops, so that his officers will know the ground they must defend.

aleb was learning as he worked. C He’d only drawn with a quill a few times, but it didn’t take long to Hot Links to Cool Sites! figure out how to keep the ink from dripping and how hard to press so NASA’s Space Place the line stayed the same width. But http://tinyurl.com/ckspace he ruined several sheets of paper before he realized that the best plan was to copy his sketches in pencil NIE Special Report first, and then go over the lines http://tinyurl.com/ckniereport in ink. Best of all, there was a real piece Headline Geography of rubber on the desk where General http://tinyurl.com/ckgeography Brown had him work, so he didn’t have to use bread to erase any Pulse of the Planet mistakes he made in pencil. He’d finished the landscapes http://tinyurl.com/ckpulseplanet weeks ago. Now General Brown wanted him to make copies of the How to become a NextGen Reporter! map of Sackets Harbor for each of http://tinyurl.com/colokidsreporter the commanders. At first, it seemed boring, copying someone else’s artwork. But he found he enjoyed it, because it made him really look at how real mapmakers worked. He saw how they used an arrow to show which direction was north, how they marked areas that had forest, how they used a different type of line to show a path than they did to show a road. He’d known all those things from reading maps before, but now copying them exactly forced him to concentrate better on just how they were put together. And being distracted was good. Most of the soldiers and sailors had gone to the other end of the lake a month ago. They won a great victory, capturing the Canadian town of York, and the ship that brought that news also brought a lot of valuable military supplies they’d taken. But it also brought the body of General Pike, who had died in the battle, and the news that Private Clark, who had been so kind in helping him avoid a beating at home and in letting him follow the soldiers to Sackets Harbor, had also been killed. Until then, the war was just something in the newspapers, something people talked about, but it wasn’t something that happened to people he knew. Now, with the army moving to attack the Canadians again, he worried about Corporal Daley and even grumpy To read the sources for these stories old Sergeant Adams. Chameleons It also made him take the work he was doing for General Brown very seriously, and to think about what might happen if the British did come from Kingston to attack the harbor. Our second moon Even Alex had stopped clowning around so much, since the solemn ceremony where Tea and rubber farmers General Pike’s body was buried on the slopes above the lake, and the big 28-gun frigate being built in the shipyard was re-named in his honor. go to http://www.tinyurl.com/ckstorylinks He finished another map and blew on it lightly to dry the ink before he moved it over to the table with the rest. It was getting towards supper time and Caleb was wondering if he should start a new map or wait until morning, when he heard a cannon shot. He went to the front hall and found several other people coming out of rooms to stand in the open front door. The Lady of the Lake, a small, fast messenger boat, was rounding the point and approaching the harbor. She had fired a gun to draw attention to the flags flying from one of her yardarms. A lieutenant in the doorway put a small telescope to his eye. “Enemy preparing to sail,” he said, decoding the flags. 3 5 4 6 2 1 Colonel Backus had come from his office and was standing behind the small group. “Send a messenger to Brown,” he said. 6 2 1 3 5 4 “I’ll go, sir,” Caleb said, and the colonel looked at him for a moment. “Can you ride, boy?” he asked, and, when Caleb nodded, Backus turned to the lieutenant. “Get him a horse,” he said. 4 6 5 1 3 2 Then he turned back to Caleb. “Ride down to the harbor and find out when they expect the British to arrive. Do you know where Brownville is?” 2 1 3 5 4 6 Caleb pointed in the direction that the Brownville Road took out of the village. Backus nodded. 1 3 2 4 6 5 Caleb followed the lieutenant to the stables, watched while a horse was saddled, then swung into the saddle and cantered down to the docks. “When will they be here?” he shouted to the Officer of the Deck on the Lady of the Lake as 5 4 6 2 1 3 she came dockside. “Not before tomorrow. They’re still loading and the wind is light,” he shouted back. Caleb turned the horse and spurred with his heels, cantering through the village and onto the Brownville Road. They went on like that for three miles, and then he reined the horse in to a walk. It was 12 miles to the general’s house and he’d get there sooner if he didn’t tire out his mount completely. The first person he met on the road in Brownville told him how to find the general’s farm (see Page Three) and he galloped the last mile and a half, then ran up on the porch and banged on the door so loudly that the general himself came to see what the noise was about. 10 right - Wow! “Calm down, son,” he said, as Caleb blurted out the news. “We’ve got time.” 7 right - Great! He turned to the butler who had also come to answer the door. “John, we need to rally the militia. You know who to alert.” 5 right - Good John went out the door and General Brown turned to Caleb. “Let’s have some supper, MacCrimmons,” he said. “I hate to fight on an empty stomach!” 3 right - See you next time! Text copyright 2012, Mike Peterson – Illustrations copyright 2012 Christopher Baldwin 1. Louis Sachar 2. sage grouse 3. Sangre de Cristo 4. Kristen Schaal 5. Samson 6. saga 7. salamandar 8. Stink 9. Shel Silverstein 10. Switzerland For a teaching guide, go to http://tinyurl.com/ckserial

is produced by eEditions of the Post are Denver Post Educational Services free of charge for classroom use. Executive Editor: Dana Plewka Contact us for information on all [email protected] our programs. CK Editor: Mike Peterson [email protected] Denver Post Educational Services We welcome your comments. 101 W. Colfax Ave. Denver CO 80202 For tools to extend the learning in this feature, (303) 954-3974 look under “Youth Content” at: (800) 336-7678 www.ColoradoNIE.com Stories without bylines were written by the editor.

The Denver Post • 4