Clubhouse is Focus on the Family’s award-winning Christian magazine for children ages 8-12. The publication reinforces traditional values and promotes family closeness with hands-on activities, challenging puzzles and exciting stories. Clubhouse is published monthly as a full color print magazine. Focus on the Family also publishes Clubhouse Jr. for children ages 3-7. Overview • Cover: Illustration and photo of Adventures in Odyssey "Get in the Show" contest winner. • U-send (inside cover): Letters to the editor, poetry, and recipe all contributed by young subscribers. • Light House: "Other Kids’ Socks." Profile of 12-year-old Leslie who based on her own foster care experiences, started a charity project called Socks for Smiles, donating colorful socks to kids in foster homes. Linked to National Foster Care month by blurb in lower right corner. • Nonfiction/inspirational: "Truth Pursuer: Bee-coming All You’re Meant to Bee." Information about bees, the hive structure and their social structure used as an example of each individual Christian’s importance to the church as a whole. Emphasis on hard work, cooperation, community effort and referenced to scripture Romans 12:4-5. • Craft: "Silly Scraps." Two page spread with four separate craft ideas, using recycled materials made into 'fun families'. Each craft has items needed listed under 'Gather' and instructions listed under 'Go' and includes a photo of the finished crafts. Tennis ball 'heads' with grass hair, peanut shell finger puppets, cardboard tube puppets, and puzzle piece people. • Adventures in Odyssey: "Case of the Missing Dinner Date: An Emily Jones Solve it Yourself Mystery," 2 page spread. Regular occurring column, story plus a mystery decoder puzzle. • High Voltage: Entertainment questions from subscribers answered by Bob Smithouser, Senior Editor with Plugged in, a Focus on the Family online entertainment guide. • Nonfiction: "Crabby Critter," 3 page spread. This article highlights information about the coconut crab with four questions interspersed to draw in the reader. Additional five small paragraphs with headings give fun facts about this creature. • U-joke: Jokes and riddles submitted by young subscribers. • Quiz: "Healthy Habits Check Up," 2 page spread. 10 question quiz about lifestyle habits/choices with a score card, plus a list of ten suggestions for healthier behavior keyed to scripture verses. • Adventures of Average Boy: Regular occurring feature. Inspirational/personal anecdote by Bob Smiley. • Look Up: Young subscribers contribute encouraging ideas for other readers to try. This issue’s column focused on Mother’s Day and how to show Mom gratitude. Two contributors, one girl, one boy, with photo of each plus illustrated caricatures. • Poster: Middle spread of magazine is a poster for Captain Absolutely, one of the Adventures in Odyssey characters. • Web Extras: Three short blurbs offering web viewable, add-on material to the magazine’s content. • Puzzles: Adventures in Odyssey themed sudoku, maze and the solution to the above mentioned Solve it Yourself mystery. • Feature article: Shona’s Adventure in Odyssey. Profile of contest winner plus two other finalists, how the contest worked and the winner’s experience in being part of the animated Adventures in Odyssey show. • Poem: "His Prayer in Our Words," 16 lines, rhyming. Tied to National Day of Prayer by blurb in lower right corner. • Fiction: "The Road to Tower Hill," 4 pages, including a story-related code puzzle. • Candid Conversations with Connie: "I Love You Mom." Gift ideas for Mother's Day, with scripture tie-in. • U-ask: Subscriber questions, answered by both columnist and other young subscribers. • Comic strip: Captain Absolutely, 2 page spread. Carrie's Experience with Clubhouse Even though poetry is listed as a 'fiction flop' on the submission guidelines for Clubhouse, my poem, "His Prayer in Our Words," was published in this issue of Clubhouse and another of my poems was published in Clubhouse Jr. The editorial contact was professional, payment was prompt, and my author copies arrived without any delay. And as an added surprise: the editor for the poem in Clubhouse Jr. entered it in the Evangelical Press Association Awards Poetry category, where it took fifth place (against serious adult sonnets and odes!). The editor sent me the award certificate with a lovely letter. A great organization to work with! Helpful Tips You can get a sample issue of Clubhouse by sending $2.50 and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Focus on the Family Clubhouse, Colorado Springs, CO 80995-7460. And their web site gives a good sense of the magazine’s tone and its reoccurring characters. Submission Guidelines: www.clubhousemagazine.com/submission-guidelines Editorial Assistant: James Holt Contributing Editor: Mrs. Joanna Echols Assistant Editor: Mr. Stephen O'Rear Editor: Mr. Jesse Florea Writing for Children's Magazines, July 2013     Copyright Carrie Clickard

Carrie Clickard is an internationally published children's author, poet and puzzle-maker. Her picture book Victricia Malicia, debuted from Flashlight Press in 2012. Her next book, Magic for Sale, releases from Holiday House in 2014. Her work has appeared in Boys Quest, American Girl, Underneath the Juniper Tree, Spellbound, Clubhouse, and Clubhouse Jr. You can find out more about Carrie and her work at www.clclickard.com.