Reach for the stars in this astronomical issue of Cricket!

Have you ever been embarrassed at school? Zan’s face turns red, and his tutu pink, when he makes an embarrassing mistake in “Pigskins and Pirouettes.”

In “My Brother’s Pet Alien,” Matt and his older brother Leo are of different minds regarding what to do about Wrinkles—a young Settler who learns to mindspeak with humans.

Have you ever heard of the planet Vulcan? “Showdown at Separation Point” tells the true story of a dispute among scientist about the existence of a really hard-to-see fiery planet once thought to exist between Mercury and the Sun. It’s telescopes at thirty paces in this scientific showdown in the Wild West.

There’s more starry adventure at a research station on a mountaintop in Chile. At the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, young Catalina reaches for the stars as she longs for a career in astronomy.

And you’ll enjoy the next installment of Crowd-Sorcery, where Cricket readers are creating the characters for an upcoming fantasy story. This issue features: Villains! See a sneak preview on the Crowd-Sorcery forum.

There’s a new poetry contest, an Ugly Bird puzzle, and the back-to-school adventures of the bugs (starring Pussywillow!) in this star-struck issue of Cricket. May the bugs be with you!