Attention, Masterminds!
8
Attention, Masterminds! Seven diverting puzzles and brainteasers designed for kids of all ages. By Mike Shenk, Robert Leighton and Amy Goldstein Mike Shenk, Robert Leighton and Amy Goldstein are partners at Puzzability, which writes puzzles for kids and adults. Their most recent book, “Puzzlelopedia,” was published last year. ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT LEIGHTON
Transcript of Attention, Masterminds!
Attention, Masterminds!Seven diverting puzzles and brainteasers designed for kids of all ages.
By Mike Shenk, Robert Leighton and Amy Goldstein
Mike Shenk, Robert Leighton and Amy Goldstein are partners at Puzzability, which writes puzzles for kids and adults. Their most recent book, “Puzzlelopedia,” was published last year.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT LEIGHTON
Double or Nuthin’ RanchThis scene has nine things that can be described with a two-word phrase in which the first word has a double letter, and the second word is the same as the first word with the double letter removed. For example, if there were a male child ordering someone around, that would be a BOSSY BOY. The blanks below show all the items with their double letters in place, but it’s up to you to figure out which goes where. Can you figure out all the phrases and match them to their blanks?
__ __ L L __ __ __ __ __ O O __ __ __ __ __ __ __ P P __ __ __ __ __ __ Z Z __ __ __ __
1
2 3
4
5
6
7
8
9
__ __ D D __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ D D __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ G G __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ R R __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ S S __ __ __ __ __ __
Join the Crowd
The three items in each of these groups have something in common. The common element might be anything: how the things are used, the way they look, even how their names sound. When you think you know a group’s common theme, look at the pictures at the bottom and find which one item goes with that group.
CHOICES
1
3
4
2
AB
C D
Shore ThingDivide this grid into five sections, each containing one each of the five pictures. The sections will have different shapes and will each consist of five adjacent boxes.
S Y A D Y T I I D O B U E P L U R I B U U M T H D T A K O R T A R R A S X I N E O H P N I N T D N E E W M M E K A K X S I S E T H C O I I W E C N R E A E L B D R E S I F O R M O M T C H C T A L W L L E D I T H E E I S H B I N S Y E G S N V D T A T D E A D M A E R C E C I E S M B E R R K F O A R E F L S O L R G I E D A
Sun SpotsThe sun doesn’t just go up and down in this puzzle, it goes in all directions. Every place the letters S-U-N appear together in the 20 words and phrases listed here, they’ve been replaced with a picture of a sun. For example, the phrase “Miss Universe” can be found in the grid as MIS IVERSE. The words are hidden reading left, right, up, down, and diagonally. When you’ve found them all, read the leftover letters from left to right, starting at the top row, to get a bonus message.
CAPRI SUNDISUNITY
DRESS UNIFORME PLURIBUS UNUM
GESUNDHEITICE CREAM SUNDAE
MISS UNIVERSE
PHOENIX SUNSSAMSUNG
SAYS UNCLESNOWS UNDER
SUNBLOCKSUNBURN
SUNDAYSUNDIALSUNKENSUNKISTSUNRISESUNSET
TSUNAMI
PinwheelThe answer to each clue in this puzzle is a five-letter word. There are two clues for each number here, for two different answer words. The answer to one clue goes in the blue arc that starts at that number and moves toward the center clockwise. The answer to the other clue goes in the gray arc that starts at that same number and moves toward the center the opposite way, counterclockwise. It’s up to you to figure out which word in each pair goes in which colored arc. Every letter you fill in will help you figure out where to put the answers of the other pairs.
1
2
3
45
6
7
8
1 ▶ The part of a classroom where the teacher’s desk is
▶ Vehicle in a parade2 ▶ Game with rooks and bishops ▶ A cuckoo might pop out of one 3 ▶ Maine or Montana, for
example ▶ Trembled4 ▶ It makes a teakettle whistle ▶ Lines along which pieces of
fabric are sewn together
5 ▶ Beauty’s companion in a Disney movie
▶ Brag 6 ▶ Fill in the ___ ▶ Kayaks and canoes 7 ▶ Candle’s light ▶ Group of birds or sheep 8 ▶ Window material ▶ Man getting married
Mane AttractionThis puzzle has two parts. First, name the six pictures and figure out where to put the words in the crossword. Careful—some words can fit into more than one place, but there’s only one way to complete the puzzle. Second, transfer the letters from the crossword to the numbered boxes at the bottom to get the answer to the riddle.
How did the fireflies feel when the lions befriended them?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
20 21 22 23 24
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
18
2 1 12
21 17 16 19 22 20
3 9 15 14
6 24 4 8 10 13 23
7 11
5
A B C DE F G H IJ K L M N OP QRS T U V W X Y Z
Close-UpsThe top three rows of circles here show close-ups of 21 different letters from the alphabet below. Once you find and cross out those letters, the five that are left will form a word for the bottom row. That will reveal what those five circles are, in more than one way.
