Hard Copy

By Michael Kaplan

Four years ago, media giant Time Warner unveiled a new magazine that sent tremors through the genteel world of classroom periodicals. Until then, grade-school kids read venerable, old-paradigm publications like Weekly Reader, Highlights for Children, and Scholastic News ; interesting and useful, those revered titles present the world as a secure, insulated place. Great for teachers, safe for kids, beloved by parents, they thrive as the bound-and-stapled equivalents of warm milk.

From its launch in September 1995, however, Time for Kids signaled that it would spike the drink. Rather than touting a story on kite-flying or cookie-baking, its debut cover featured a photograph of a crying Bosnian boy, a victim of the Balkans conflict. Accompanying text struck a poignant note: "He's only known war." The image was stunning enough that it could have fronted an edition of the adult Time magazine. And that was precisely the point.

With that issue, Time for Kids changed classroom magazines forever. Peppered with real-world details and brimming with breaking news, Time for Kids has tackled issues ranging from the sugar content in soda pop to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Benefiting from Time 's bureaus, copy desks, and international reach, the magazine has delivered unprecedented news coverage to grade schoolers. Circulation has climbed from 700,000 to 2.6 million-the fifth-largest among Time Warner publications-and the magazine has won numerous awards from...