Ten for the TenaciousTen diverting puzzles for kids of all ages in honor of Off Duty’s tenth anniversary.

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 books for kids include “Puzzlelopedia” and “The Brainiest Insaniest Ultimate Puzzle Book.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT LEIGHTON

First and Furıous

To solve the riddle, start by fitting the spelled-out names of the numbers ONE through TEN into the grid of connected boxes so that the words all interlock like a crossword puzzle, using the lengths of the words and the places where they cross as a guide. When you’ve filled in all the words, some letters will appear in boxes with symbols. Transfer those letters to the boxes below the riddle with the same symbols to spell the riddle’s answer.

What do 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 do when they’re angry?

Divisıon Problems

Divide each group of 10 hexagons into two pieces with identical shapes. You’ll need to rotate the pieces in your mind’s eye for them to match.

1

2

3

4 3 1

2

3

3 1

Special Additıon

In each of these puzzles, fill the grid so that each row and each column contains one of each digit 1, 2, 3 and 4 and the numbers in each outlined section add up to 10. Digits may repeat within an outlined section.

1

2

3

Quotatıon MarksThe object of this puzzle is to fill the blank boxes with a quotation by Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. When you’re done, the quotation will read from left to right and row by row, with black squares marking the spaces between words. All of the letters you need are given in the columns at the top. Drop the letters from each column into the empty squares in the same column, in whatever order is necessary to spell words reading across. We’ve dropped in one letter to get you started. Hint: Start with the shortest words, and with the columns that have the fewest letters.

L

A R S C T M E T S E F D E V R U E G E F O S I W E L N K B E H Y C S E L I E N S S P O E I U E I A A V L E

Bıodiversity

Two of these 10 flowers are identical, though they may be oriented differently from each other. Which two are the matching flowers?

Can You Follow Instructıons?Follow these 10 instructions carefully to get a surprise at the end.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1. If the number 10 appears on the left half of a clock face, draw a plus sign in Box 12. If it appears on the right half of a clock face, draw a minus sign in Box 12.

2. What is the only letter of the alphabet that rhymes with “ten”? Draw this capital letter in Box 6.

3. If George Washington is on a $10 bill, draw a dollar sign in Box 9. If Alexander Hamilton is on a $10 bill, do nothing.

4. What number, plus itself, equals 10? Draw that number one time in Box 2.

5. If 10 years is a century, draw a capital C in Box 10. If 10 years is a decade, draw a lowercase d in Box 10.

6. If the Roman numeral for 10 is X, draw an I in Box 3. If the Roman numeral for 10 is I, draw an X in Box 5.

7. If September is the 10th month, draw an S in Box 11. If October is the 10th month, draw an O in Box 11.

8. If 7 plus 3 equals 10, draw a 7 in Box 4, a plus sign in Box 1, and a 3 in Box 7. If not, do nothing.

9. If any two boxes show the same item, draw that item again in Box 8. If no two boxes have the same item, draw a zero in Box 8.

10. If you have filled more than 10 boxes, or fewer than 10 boxes, recheck your answers. If you have filled exactly 10 boxes, turn this page upside down to see what you’ve just completed.

Story SessıonTo find the answer to the riddle, name the five pictures shown. Then fit those words into the boxes. Each word is a different length, so there is only one way to place each answer. When you’re done, the highlighted letters, in order, will reveal the riddle’s answer.

How does the story of Coinderella begin?

TrıosEach of these scenes can be described with a three-word phrase in which each of the words has a letter that appears three times. For example, a picture of a hairy spider adding sugar to its fruit would be a tArAntulA swEEtEning stRawbeRRies. Every repeated letter trio in a word is indicated with boxes, with blanks representing the word’s other letters. As a hint, the three letters that are repeated in each scene are listed below (like AER for “tarantula sweetening strawberries”), but you’ll have to determine which set goes with which picture.

AGL CPB ETI MIN SNP

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

1

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

2

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

3

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

4

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

5

12345678910

Split DecisıonTo find the answer to the riddle, use the clues to fill in the words in the spaces provided. Each word is split into two halves. One part goes with the word half above it, and the other part goes with the word half below it (except for the first and last halves). The numbered arrow between each half tells you which clue to use, and in which direction your answer should go. When you’re done, read the highlighted letters in order, from top to bottom, to get the answer to the riddle.

What can you get from a squid that will make you laugh?

1 Feature of a zebra or a barber pole

2 Not yet ready to pick, like a green tomato

3 Spread, like a sleeping bag 4 Leisurely walk 5 Part of a yo-yo or a kite 6 Competing in a 10K 7 Piece of tennis equipment 8 Item on a necklace that

sometimes holds a photo 9 Find 10 Group of 100 people who

meet in the U.S. Capitol

Fashıon SenseEach of these sentences has the name of an article of clothing hidden somewhere inside, across two or more words. For example, in the sentence “The designer checks out styles online to see if they might spark any ideas,” “parka” appears in “spark any.” Can you find them all?

1. If you keep on choosing designer outfits, you’ll soon find you don’t have money for anything else.

2. You’d never know that model is a beginner—she’s really taking ownership of the runway!

3. I still keep some vintage clothes in an old trunk I monogrammed with my initials when I was a kid.

4. The first time I went to a fashion show with my friends, I learned that unless we ate right before it started, we’d be starving by the end.

5. The chic model looks perfect whether wearing a dress with a sash or T-shirt and jeans.