GIFT GUIDE 2007
Middle School Gifts
From toys that stand the test of time to board games that are anything but boring, we found the best middle school products that will build your child's brain, as well as being chock full of fun. Our list of loot is kid-tested, teacher approved, and full of options for any family, so get wrappin'!
The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep
12-year-old Becker Drane works as a "Fixer" in The Seems, the world behind our world that is responsible for existence as we know it. A glitch in the Department of Sleep is keeping everyone up at night, and Becker is called in to remedy the problem. But, this is no routine mission and he will have ...
Kiva.org Gift Certificate
Looking for a way to help kids give back during a season of get? Slip this in their stockings to give a hands-on lesson in fighting global poverty, by using one of their favorite tools...the Internet. Introducing Kiva.org, which works with micro-finance centers worldwide to distribute small loans ...
Palm Z22
If getting your adolescent to keep track of his homework assignments feels like splitting the atom, you may want to consider luring him into organizational utopia with this little wonder. This compact, high-tech organizer holds appointments, addresses, to-do lists, and notes--all in an easy-to-read ...
Meade Telescope
If your knowledge of astronomy begins and ends with finding the Big Dipper, but you want to spur your child on to greater heights, never fear. This 80 mm-telescope is easy to put together. The instruction manual explains how to use each feature of the telescope to get your child up close and ...
Magic With Cards
Cross a deck of cards with a wide-eyed, wise-mouthed middle schooler, add this delightful collection of "113 Easy-to-Perform Miracles" and you've got Magic with Cards, a how-to book that should keep your kid enthralled for hours at a stretch. Under the capable guidance of authors Garcia ...
10 Days in Africa
Can you get from Mauritania to Madagascar in just ten days? If you're game. Board game, that is! In 10 Days in Africa, players must "travel" by plane, truck, or foot. Using a big board, but no pieces, and plenty of geography and strategy, players arrange country and travel cards to chart a course ...
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Haroun's father, a famous storyteller, regularly performs for huge standing-room-only crowds. Until he loses his gift for gab. This fantastic fable is a father-son quest through magical lands in an attempt to regain his inspiration. Just under the surface of all this fun and adventure, it hints at ...
RipStik Caster Board
This new toy is all the rage at skate parks around the country. Sure it looks a little odd, with its rotating deck and wheels that turn 360 degrees. But unlike its skateboard cousins, this means kids don't need to push off to keep this baby rolling; a twisting motion with shoulders and hips is all ...
Mindstorms NXT
R2D2 move over! The coolest robot on the block doesn't come from a galaxy far far away. And he can be built in thirty minutes flat. With Lego Mindstorms NXT and a computer, kids can design and program a robot to do their bidding. This hunk of gears, wires, and plastic comes hopped up with a 32-bit ...
His Dark Materials
This epic trilogy has all the trappings of a young adult fantasy series, while delving into some very adult themes and ideas. In the books, 12-year-old tomboy Lyra and her animal daemon travel through interconnecting realities, filled with enough ghostly wraiths, shape-shifting creatures and flying ...
The Thief Lord
Mix the magic of Harry Potter with a taste of Oliver Twist, and you'll have some notion of the yarn that awaits young readers with this book. Two orphaned brothers arrive in Venice, attempting to escape from the nasty couple who want to adopt them. They're sheltered by a band of young urchins and ...
Or Give Me Death: A Novel of Patrick Henry's Family
Students know Patrick Henry as one of our founding fathers. But to his kids, he was just dad. This book tells the story of Henry's family from the perspective of his two eldest daughters, growing with an absent father and a mentally ill mom. Although fiction, the text is grounded in historical ...
iPod Nano
Thin is in, especially when it comes to electronics. But this year, the iPod Nano got a major makeover, and in exchange for a little girth, it now has video. Kids will focus on the fact that they can watch movies and TV on the go, but this little guy also comes in handy for podcasts and audio ...
Bubble Guitar
Musical genius has to start somewhere, and this electric guitar might be just the string. Don't let the cute looks fool you. Underneath its playful print, this instrument's got an ash wood body capable of some serious resonance. A rosewood fret, multiple dials, a slider, strap, picks, a stand, and ...
Taboo
Everyone knows what a birthday party is. But can your child explain it without using the words "celebration," "presents," "balloons," and "cake"? In Taboo, players must describe something without using the accompanying "taboo" words. Creative ...
iLife
Tired of consumption? Inspire creation! This suite of software includes an array of artistic tools that will flex your kid's right brain and kick-start her imagination. Inside the box you'll find iMovie (for video), iPhoto (for photos), GarageBand (for music), iDVD (for DVD burning) and iWeb (for ...
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