Hi, Cannon! It makes me SO HAPPY to hear that you love News-O-Matic. I'm glad you're here reading and learning with us!

People vote because it's a way to share your thoughts and opinions, Melanie! Have you ever done a poll in a News-O-Matic article? That's one kind of voting! In many places, people vote to pick their leaders and make decisions about laws.

Hi, Violet! The Smoky Mountains cover land in parts of Blount, Sevier, and Cocke counties in Tennessee, as well as Swain and Haywood counties in North Carolina. Altogether, about 350,000 people live in those counties. Welcome to News-O-Matic!

The most popular baby names in 2023 were Olivia and Liam. You can learn more about the list in the News-O-Matic article "Top Baby Names of 2023!"

We just published an article about a scientific study that involves a pig! 🐷 Hope you like it, AJ!

Gabriella, thanks for writing to me! I get so many messages from readers each day, so I can't write back to all of them. Still, I read and appreciate all of the messages. I'm really happy to hear that your teacher likes News-O-Matic. Tell him to drop us a note at ask@newsomatic.org!

That list would be way too long to include here, Nicolas! There are more than 7,000 different languages spoken all over the world today. That's a LOT of different ways to say "hello!" 🗣️

That's an interesting question, Mauricio! If someone thinks that a law in the United States goes against the Constitution, they can bring their problem to court for judges to decide. The highest court is the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court decides that a law is unconstitutional, then that law cannot be enforced anymore.

It's GREAT that you love reading, Ayva! We did a series about books for kids that won a popular prize called the Newbery Award. Try typing "Newbery Books" into the Search. You might be interested in some of the books that pop up. 📖 Or else just search for your favorite subjects!

It's great to meet you, Sienna! The city of Galveston, Texas, plays a key role in an American holiday called Juneteenth. The holiday honors the date of June 19, 1865. On that day, the last enslaved people in the United States were freed. To read more about it, type "Juneteenth" into the Search. If you know of any other important stories or facts about Galveston, please let me know!

You might be thinking of our mascot, Vivian! The little yellow dog on the cover is named Newsie! But I am a human... at least, that was the case the last time I checked. 😉

Hope for Flowers has been my favorite book since I was a kid! You can read my thoughts about it in the News-O-Matic article "Books We Love: Hope for Flowers."

Hey, Carlos! It's really cool that you're curious about that. What kinds of topics do you want to know about? Americans will vote for their next president on November 5. Keep reading News-O-Matic to learn more about elections and the government!

Hi, Nicholas! I'm so glad you love News-O-Matic! We do share sports news stories often. Have you read the recent soccer article "Soccer Superstar Leaves the Field?" ⚽️ We are also about to publish a baseball story too!

It is totally normal to be nervous, Gerard! But we can learn a lot from messing up. And how we learn from our mistakes is what we should focus on. It's alright to be nervous, but every day is a new day to try again.

Hi, Ashley! In the United States, people can vote after they turn 18 years old. Other countries have different rules, though.

Hi, Oliver! Taylor Swift has popped up in quite a few of our articles! Did you know she's related to the famous poet Emily Dickinson? You can read more about that and other Swiftie stories by typing "Taylor Swift" into the Search! 🎤

I actually prefer it the other way around, Anthony! I pour my cereal first. Then, I add a bit of milk to get the cereal a little soggy. However, it's okay to have your own unique way of doing things — even eating breakfast! 🥣

I'm glad you enjoyed that article about Selena Gomez's experience as an actress and business leader! And thanks for sharing with me what you're interested in. I love hearing from readers like you!

The Earth's atmosphere stretches for 6,214 miles (10,000 kilometers)! I hope you have a good day too, Annabelle. 😁