Xpress, the Coolest Section of the St. Petersburg Times, is the home for features, news and views of interest to young readers. Most of the work in Xpress, which appears on Mondays in Floridian, is produced by the Times' X-Team. The team of journalists ages 9-17 from around the Tampa Bay area is selected every year at the end of the school year to serve during the following school term. The current team of 12 was chosen out of 150 applicants. Watch for X-Team application forms in Xpress during the month of May.
Read the reviews by Xpress Film Critic Billy Norris
Terrifying trading cards
By BRIAN ORLOFF
Published November 10, 2003
Put down those Pokemon cards. They're not cool anymore, anyway. Even though Halloween is over, you still can play Creepy Freaks, the Gross-Out 3D Trading Game developed by WizKids LLC. Choose your characters and battle to the death. (Note: Xpress supports fun, so for goodness' sake, go easy with all the battling.) And what a roster of characters from which to select! Guess what the Booger Man's weapon of choice is? Of course, he flicks boogers at you. But the Booger Man isn't without his weaknesses; he's afraid of clouds of insects, fireballs, clingy kisses and bloodsucking. So, watch out for Tulips, the source of those pesky, clingy kisses. She ""says she'll love you forever.'' Sounds like a match made in monster heaven. You can find them in retail stores like Toys R Us, Target and KB Toys.
When I grow up
Guess more kids want to be like mom and dad after all. A recent essay contest, the Writing Edge program sponsored by Mead (the school-supplies folks) and Scholastic publishers, asked the question: Who is your biggest role model? Sixty percent of middle school students chose family as the most important role models in their lives. Surprised that more of the 10,000 participants didn't answer Britney Spears? So were contest organizers, who said that only 10 percent of the responses named athletes as favorites. Even fewer - 5 percent - called celebrities their heroes. Winning essays were selected from students in fifth to eighth grades. The prize? A $750 savings bond and package of Mead school supplies.
Xpress quote
My character's name is Lorraine, and she's 16. She's into hair and makeup and clothes, kind of like Lizzie McGuire.'' - Hilary Duff, on the similarities between her former character and her new big-screen role in Cheaper by the Dozen, in the November/December issue of American Girl magazine.
