Scholastic Book Fairs Podcast

Mia Andrews is an American girl, adopted at birth from a South Korean orphanage, now on a tour of North Korea with her rebellious older brother Simon and their aid-worker father. Then Mia receives forbidden, explosive photos of the North Korean work camps, right as their father is arrested by the North Korean government. Their lone hope for surviving and saving their father is to get the photographs across the Chinese border, over a hundred miles away. With Mia's Korean School knowledge and Simon's Outward Bound skills to guide them, the siblings set off on a harrowing journey without food, money, or shelter, in a place where anyone who sees them might turn them in, and anyone who helps them might end up in a labor camp.

Summer's over and it's time for Sunny Lewin to enter the strange and unfriendly hallways of middle school. When her Gramps calls her from Florida to ask how she's doing, she always tells him she's fine. But the truth? Sunny is NOT having the best time. Not only is the whole middle school thing confusing, but life at home is confusing, too. Sunny misses her brother Dale, who's been sent to boarding school. But when Dale comes back, she STILL misses him…because he's changed. Luckily Sunny's got her best friend and a mysterious new neighbor on her side because she is NOT going to let all this confusion get her down. Instead, she's going to remain Sunny-side up!

Robert Hoge was born with a tumor in the middle of his face and legs that weren't much use. When he was very young, doctors removed that tumor from his face and operated on his legs. He still looked different, though. He still looked ... ugly. UGLY is the true story of how an extraordinary boy grew up to have an ordinary life, and how that became his greatest achievement of all.

Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is reliable, dull, trustworthy - a proper young lady who knows her place as inferior to men. But inside, Faith is full of questions and curiosity, and she cannot resist mysteries. She knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing. She knows that her family moved to the close-knit island of Vane because her famous scientist father was fleeing a reputation-destroying scandal. And she knows, when her father is discovered dead shortly thereafter, that he was murdered. In pursuit of justice and revenge, Faith hunts through her father’s possessions and discovers a strange tree. The tree bears fruit only when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father’s murder - or it may lure the murderer directly to Faith herself. From critically-acclaimed author Frances Hardinge (CUCKOO SONG) comes a novel that will keep readers thinking.

Hannah is excited to spend some time at her best friend Jacob's lake house this summer. The catch? Hannah's annoying new stepsister, Katie, is tagging along. Katie is wild and pretty and seems to have a "thing" for Jacob. Hannah's not jealous, or is she? To make matters worse, the town they're staying in is sort of creepy. And as Hannah gets to know some kids in the town, she learns there are rumors swirling about the lake. Rumors about mysterious deaths and drownings. Hannah doesn't believe any of it, until she sees something horrific happen. Did Hannah just witness a murder? Or was this a prank gone awry? And who can Hannah trust now?

Piggie has some ribbiting news, he's a frog! Gerald isn't so sure. Can Piggie teach his best friend about pretending? Will Gerald join in on the fun? Young readers will laugh out loud along with these beloved characters!

When Hensel and Gretel’s dad gets snatched by a fox, the sisters put their ninja skills to work to track him down before he can be stir-fried. But are these two little chicks ready to take on a dark tangled forest, a tricky house made of cornbread, and an even trickier fox?

Kevin the koala loves every day to be the same, where it's snug and safe. But when change comes along, will Kevin embrace all the joys that come with trying something new? This feel-good rhyming story empowers young readers to face change with courage and delight as well as learn the important message that at times change comes along whether we like it or not . . . but if you let it, change can be the making of you.

Princess Truly is smart, courageous, and can do anything she sets her mind to do! She can tame lions, race fast cars, fly to the moon, and dance on the stars. Lively rhyme and colorful illustrations are beautifully combined to show children that they can do anything.

From the award-winning creator of PIG THE PUG comes a laugh-out-loud picture book about learning to love who you are... even if you don't have sparkles! Thelma the pony wants to be a unicorn, but when her dream comes true, it is not quite what she expected. At first she loves the attention, but she soon discovers that being famous is not as fun as she thought it would be. This funny rhyming tale is perfect for reading aloud!

In the latest installment of Tedd Arnold's New York Times bestselling Fly Guy series, Fly Guy misses his family. So when Fly Guy's not looking, Buzz plans him a surprise party and invites his whole family, including all his brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and mother and father!

This time, Mr. Panda's black-and-white animal friends are curious what he's making, but only one has the patience to stick around. An alpaca, an aardvark, rabbits, and a bird all wind up missing out. It's the penguin who declares, "I'll wait, Mr. Panda." The penguin is rewarded with a big SURPRISE: a giant doughnut! This second book featuring Mr. Panda is a graphic, kid-friendly way of teaching the value of patience and the importance of saying "thank you."

Groovy Joe is having a dance party. But with more and more doggies knocking on his door, asking to come in, will there be enough room for everyone? Joe knows just what to do, and soon he has everyone moving and grooving. Rhyme, repetition, and musical writing style combine with wild and witty illustrations and gentle math concepts to create an unforgettable new Groovy Joe story all about positivity, creativity, math, and kindness.

Scholastic's bestselling OLD LADY is starring in a brand-new adventure series that will make you laugh AND learn! In this new spin-off, the OLD LADY turns into an OLD MERMAID, travels down into the ocean, and swallows a shark . . . and a squid, and a fish, and a clam! Two new characters lead the reader through this hilarious adventure while exchanging some awesome facts about the creatures down under for a light take on nonfiction that's perfect for this age. With expanded sea creature back matter and a search-and-find game at the end, this OLD MERMAID is making quite a splash!

This page-turning narrative about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor and pacifist who became an unlikely hero during World War II and took part in a plot to kill Hitler, provides fascinating insights into what makes someone stand up for what’s right when no one else is standing with you.

Four Months Ago: Sara Zapata's best friend disappeared, kidnapped by the web of criminals who terrorize Juarez. Four Hours Ago: Sara received a death threat - and with it, a clue to the place where her friend is locked away. Four Weeks Ago: Emiliano Zapata fell in love with Perla Rubi, who will never be his so long as he's poor. Four Minutes Ago: Emiliano got the chance to make more money than he ever dreamed - just by joining the web. In the next four days, Sara and Emiliano will each face impossible choices - between life and justice, friends and family, truth and love. But when the web closes in on Sara, only one path remains for the siblings: the way across the desert to the United States. MATURE THEMES: This book contains language or subject matter that may be considered objectionable.

Henry Leach the Eighth and his sister, Brianna, have survived a faulty spell, defeated a wicked spellcaster, and saved the world, but their greatest accomplishment might be convincing Grand Wand Master Coralis to take them on as official apprentices. For the first time in centuries, the reclusive Wand Master has opened the doors to his castle and invited a new generation of Wandmakers to learn the secrets of the craft. But danger lurks around every corner in a world of magic, curses, and fantastical beasts. And the greatest threat of all may come from within the Wandmakers' own ranks. Includes a mini glow-in-the-dark wand pen!

It's only a year until the first Tomorrow Con, a con dedicated to the comic book Team Tomorrow, and Edan Kupferman's determined to win the masquerade ball. The winner gets a walk-on part as a sidekick in the upcoming film adaptation! Edan's got three major comic conventions before the big show to make her costume perfect so she can cosplay it out of the park. But cosplay isn't just about competition for her. When Edan's cosplaying, she can be angry, loud, and not the good girl everyone thinks she is. Then she meets fellow cosplay fan Kirk Gomez, and everything changes. Now Edan has to figure out whether it's worth trying out for a walk-on part as a sidekick in a film, or if she has the strength to be the hero in her own real life.

In this Level 1 reader series, Moby Shinobi is a very helpful ninja. In this book, he's making pizza at Papa Peppy's Pizza Shop. He tries to toss dough, slice pies, and serve hungry customers, but each attempt to help out just ends in a funny mess. Moby wants to help Papa Peppy, but what if his ninja skills aren't right for the job? However, when the key to Papa Peppy's secret sauce is lost, it's Moby's time to shine!

In this hilarious sequel to FROG ON A LOG, frog decides he does not want to sit on a log, and he definitely does not want a dog to sit on a frog! So he changes the rules. Now, dogs sit on logs, and cats sit on gnats! But what will frog decide to sit on now? Chock-full of absurd animal rhyme pairings, this fun yet educational read-aloud shows young readers that every animal has many special places to sit.