Something different today: a 7x7 easy, themed mini designed for kids! My daughter is off to kindergarten in a few weeks (😲) so I've been spending a lot of time with her this summer (🤗). She has enjoyed working on the Grids for Kids puzzle pack  with me, so I wanted to make a special puzzle just like those but with some of her interests included. The paired theme answers here (9-Across and 12-Across) fit together well and reference some books she has been loving, too. She ended up "solving" the puzzle with lots of guidance from me, but I do believe it's doable by anyone who is able to read the clues. (If you're so inclined, please try it for yourself and let me know what you think about the age-level.) Enjoy the solve, and share if you do! puz pdf fullscreen solution

I hope you enjoy this silly puzzle! It all started when I was listening to a song by 26-Across and thought, "There's gotta  be a way I could use this name." After 34-Across came to mind, it was only a matter of figuring out how to fit everything into a grid, and I somehow ended up with this wide, short, mirror-symmetric oddity. Some of the corners and pockets may play like a tough themeless, but I hope the puzzle being "lightly themed"  overall will help you assemble everything together. I think this puzzle is a good example of something that could only ever appear on a crossword blog. Where else are you going to see a theme set consisting of just a 25 and a 15? (Speaking of which, I think the only possible connection I could make to the current holiday season is that one of the theme entries here is 25 letters long, and there's a holiday on the 25th this month. There's no special reason to run this puzzle this week; it's just what I happen to have r...

This grid has mirror symmetry in both directions: left-right and top-bottom. What would you call that? I suppose it's not technically dual symmetry:  I think that means 90-degree-rotational symmetry in a square grid, but this grid here is rectangular, not square. Let me know if there's already a common term for this kind of double-mirror symmetry, or if you have an idea yourself! Regarding the stuff in  the grid: some fun long answers, some silly clues, and some educational clues (especially 20- and 21-Down, a person I want you to know about). But, overall, I tried not to make anything too challenging, so I hope this plays as a smooth medium  for you.  Enjoy the solve, and share if you do! Constructive feedback in the comments is always welcome. Download links:   [ puz ]   [ pdf ]   [ solution ]        Direct link: [ play online ]

  More experimentation with mirror symmetry! This is also my way of working on making stacks  in themeless puzzles. I still don't feel adept enough at gridding or wordlist-managing to make a consistently solid, full-sized themeless grid, so these midi-sized puzzles are one way I'm working on those skills. Anyway, I think this one has some interesting spanners and a few fun clues, too. Enjoy the solve, and share if you do! Constructive feedback in the comments is always welcome. Download links:   [ puz ]   [ pdf ]   [ solution ]        Direct link: [ play online ]

  This one is a a full-sized puzzle with mirror symmetry  and an interesting theme, I think. I had fun finding the rest of the theme entries after the idea came to mind when I read 18-Across' name recently. Some of them may be obscure to you, but I think they're gettable from the crosses and the theme idea. I'm not totally pleased with the arrangement of blocks in this grid: 47 blocks is a lot, and I acknowledge that the "flow" from top to bottom is restricted. So, I'm wondering if anyone has better ideas for how to manage a theme set with many mismatching odd lengths like this one (5, 9, 9, 11, 15). I did try to arrange some of them as downs, but nothing worked out just right. (I'm open to suggestions and advice here!) Enjoy the solve, and share if you do! Constructive feedback in the comments is always welcome. Download links:   [ puz ]   [ pdf ]   [ solution ]        Direct link: [ play online ]

Just a fun and easy rhyme time puzzle! This was inspired by hearing 23-Across in a TV show and quickly realizing that 17-Across could go with it. I searched my brain and the internet for other possibilities but nothing good came up (although I did find  [theme spoiler alert!]   this obscure tumblr blog  that you may very well be interested in). This is my first time sharing a puzzle with  mirror symmetry , as well! I like how this grid fits the two theme answers and several long down bonuses, and I'm hoping the abundance of 3s and 4s will make this one truly  easy-peasy  and fun to solve . Enjoy the solve, and share if you do! Constructive feedback in the comments is always welcome. Download links:   [ puz ]   [ pdf ]   [ solution ]        Direct link: [ play online ]