Junior Skeptic

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Junior Skeptic will focus on one topic, and is written and illustrated in a manner more appealing to children.

Junior Skeptic magazine is an illustrated science and critical thinking publication intended for younger readers, which is bound into every issue of Skeptic magazine. Published by The Skeptics Society through Millennium Press [1], the first page of Junior Skeptic is printed on glossy paper, whereas the rest of the magazine is printed on non-glossy stock. The first edition of Junior Skeptic appeared in volume 6, #3 of Skeptic.

Like Skeptic, Junior Skeptic is dedicated to the critical examination of paranormal claims. Each issue of Junior Skeptic typically reviews the background, concepts, and key arguments surrounding one major topic (such as the Bermuda Triangle or Bigfoot). That discussion is used to teach science and critical thinking skills.

Junior Skeptic is sometimes used in classrooms as a teacher's aid. The prose style, vocabulary, and illustrations are designed for comprehension at a 6th or 7th grade reading level. It is also popular among the adult readers of Skeptic magazine, who are the first audience for each issue.

The inspiration for this publication was a scene in the animated comedy television series, The Simpsons, in which Lisa Simpson reads a magazine called Junior Skeptic.

The real-life Junior Skeptic was created by Skeptic co-publisher and Art Director Pat Linse. Daniel Loxton has been the Editor of Junior Skeptic since 2002. He does most of the writing and illustration.