Scholastic Reads

This week, we have something special — and a little different. We know from research that reading aloud is one of the best ways to turn kids into lifelong readers, and over the past 40 plus episodes, we’ve asked A LOT of talented authors to read aloud from their work. Today, we’ve stitched our picture book read-alouds together into one short episode that’s perfect for your 3- to 8-year-old! We’ll also hear from Tara Welty, editor-in-chief of Scholastic Teacher, about their 50 Brilliant Books for Summer List. Additional Resources: More information about The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!  Listen to our episode with Carmen Agra Deedy, author of The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! More information about Happy Dreamer  Listen to our episode with Peter H. Reynolds, author of Happy Dreamer More information about The Princess and the Pony Listen to our episode with Kate Beaton, author of The Princess and the Pony Learn more about A Poem for Peter by Andrea Davis Pinkney More information about Julia Donaldson and 

This week, we're talking with author Tui Sutherland about her New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, Wings of Fire. Set in the magical land of Pyrrhia, the books follow seven dragon tribes who have been at war for generations and a prophecy that foretells of five dragonets and a great sacrifice. Tui and her editor, Amanda Maciel, talk about the work that goes into building the fantastical world of this series, the upcoming graphic novelization of the series, and announce some exciting news about upcoming books! Additional Resources: Learn more about the Wings of Fire series Learn more about Wings of Fire #10: Darkness of Dragons See the Wings of Fire forums, take quizzes, and play games Learn more about Tui Sutherland Learn more about Amanda Maciel Read more about the graphic novelization of Wings of Fire Guests: Tui T. Sutherland is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Wings of Fire series, the Menagerie trilogy, and the Pet Trouble series, as well as a contributing author to

In July 1992, Scholastic introduced a monthly book series by R.L. Stine called Goosebumps with Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House. Twenty-five years (and several generations of frightened kids later), Goosebumps is now one of the best-selling children's series of all time with more than 350 million English language books in print. To celebrate this milestone, we invited R.L. Stine into the studio to reflect on the last 25 years and to give us a look at what's still to come for the master of horror.  Joining us in the studio today is a special co-host, Gina Asprocolas. Gina is a Scholastic employee who was a die-hard Goosebumps fan as a child. She shares her story of growing up with Goosebumps, gives Stine some inspiration for millennial-inspired stories, and we test her R.L. Stine-related knowledge with some trivia! Additional Resources: Find more information about all of the Goosebumps books here Learn more about R.L. Stine Read more about  SlappyWorld #1: Slappy Birthday to You, SlappyWorld #2: Attack of the

Actors Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, and author Alan Gratz join us this week to talk about the refugee crisis, and how they are giving voice to the children affected. First, we speak with Alan Gratz, a children's author whose most recent book, Refugee, hits shelves July 25, 2017. The book follows three children from three periods of history fleeing three different evils: Josef, a young Jewish boy fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s; Isabel, a Cuban girl whose family sets out on a raft bound for America in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015, who hopes to escape the violence and destruction of his homeland and begin a new life with his family in Europe. Later in the episode, we talk with Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody. Mandy is an actor and singer whom you may know from his roles in "The Princess Bride," the Showtime series "Homeland," or as the voice of Papa Smurf in the recent movie "Smurfs: The Lost Village." Over the past few years, Mandy and his wife, actress and writer Kathryn Grody, have worked

Award-winning author Bill Konigsberg joins us in the studio for this week's episode, just in time to celebrate Pride Month. Bill is the author of Openly Straight, which won the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, the Stonewall Award-winning The Porcupine of Truth, and most recently, Honestly Ben, a follow-up novel to Openly Straight. He talks about why he decided to write Honestly Ben several years after Openly Straight's release. Bill also shares what his life was like growing up as a gay teen in New York City during a time when there were little to no books in which he could see himself, his experiences, or even any role models. Later in the episode, we also talk with Scholastic librarian Deimosa Webber-Bey and art director Jeremy Goodwin about their recent experiences when Bill came to a meeting of the Scholastic Employee Book Club while they were discussing Honestly Ben.  Additional Resources: Read an excerpt of Openly Straight, Honestly Ben, and The Porcupine of Truth Get a free copy of Bill Konigsberg's nov

Memorial Day is a time of reflection and patriotism. But we recognize that it can sometimes be challenging to explain what we're celebrating — and the realities of war — to children. In this episode, we talk with authors C. Alexander London (Dog Tags and Tides of War series), Kate Messner (Rolling Thunder), and Lauren Tarshis (I Survived series) who share with us why and how they write about war for their young readers. Additional Resources: Scholastic's Guide to Teaching and Talking About War Books With Children and Teens More about C. Alexander London and his Dog Tags and Tides of War series More about Kate Messner and Rolling Thunder  More about Lauren Tarshis and the I Survived series Lauren is a return guest to our podcast! Listen to our first episode with her — all about Storyworks and the I Survived series — here Guests: C. Alexander London has written books for children, teens, even a few grown ups. He’s the author of The Wild Ones series, Dog Tags and Tides of War series, as well as the Accidental Ad

This week, we're introducing you to four members of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps. Each year, 10- to 14-year-olds around the world are selected to be a part of the award-winning program. These young journalists report news for kids, by kids, covering breaking news, entertainment, and sports events from their hometowns and on the national stage. With us this week are Kid Reporters Esther Appelstein, Adedayo Perkovich, Titus Smith III, and Maxwell Surprenant, to talk about their experiences during the past year. We're also joined in the studio by Michael Cappetta, a Scholastic News Kids Press Corps alumnus who is now a producer at NBC Universal. He shares favorite memories of his time as a Kid Reporter. Know a kid with a nose for news? The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps is accepting applications through May 31, 2017. Find out more details and apply here! Additional resources: Learn more about the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Read recent stories from the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Read Esther

This week, we're talking with Emma Donoghue (author of the award-winning novel for adults Room), about her new book for children, The Lotterys Plus One. She's joined by her editor, Arthur A. Levine, to talk about the process of transitioning from writing for adults to writing for children; where the inspiration for Sumac Lottery and her big, unruly family came from; and the role Emma's own chlidren play in her creative process. Additional Resources: More information about The Lotterys Plus One Watch the book trailer for The Lotterys Plus One Read an excerpt of The Lotterys Plus One Learn more about Emma Donoghue Learn more about Arthur A. Levine books Guests: Emma Donoghue is the author of the international bestseller and Man Booker Prize finalist Room, as well as several other novels, including the YA collection Kissing the Witch (1997), which was shortlisted for the Tiptree Award. Her most recent book The Wonder was published in September 2016. Born in Ireland, she now lives in Canada with her partner a

"A poem begins with a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, or a love sickness." — Robert Frost This week, we're celebrating Poetry Month by talking about the power and joy of poetry. First, we hear from renowned novelist, essayist, and poet Calvin Trillin, who shares some of the inspiration behind his new poetry collection for children, No Fair! No Fair!. We also talk with two high school students, Maya Eashwaran and Gopal Raman, who were honored as National Student Poets in 2016, as well as an educator, Adam Couturier, who speaks about the wonderful poetry program in his Massachusetts school district. Additional resources: More information about No Fair! No Fair! by Calvin Trillin and illustrated by Roz Chast Learn more about the National Student Poets Program Meet the other 2016 National Student Poets, and hear more from Maya Eashwaran and Gopal Raman Read a blog post from Adam Couturier about his district's We Read Big initiative Guests: Calvin Trillin is a journalist, humorist, poet, nove

  What do you do with a story that's too big to be contained in a book series? This week, we're talking about Horizon, a new multiplatform adventure for 9- to 12-year olds. Joining us in the studio are New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Leviathan, Afterworlds), game designer Gavin Brown, and editor Nick Eliopulos to talk about the unique approach Scholastic's multiplatform team takes to storytelling. As Nick says, "The books that we love become these spaces that we want to play in."    Additional Resources: Read an excerpt from Horizon by Scott Westerfeld Download the Horizon app on your iOS or Android device Play the Horizon game on your desktop Join in the discussion on the Horizon forums "Underwater Dreams" — the documentary about high school students who compete in a college-level robotics competition "Taking Flight: NASA Prepares to Welcome New Class of Astronauts" Guests: Scott Westerfeld is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Uglies series, which has been translate

Author Peter Reynolds is redefining what ADHD stands for. In his world, and in his new picture book, Happy Dreamer, it's simply an acronym for Amazing Delightful Happy Dreamer. This week, we talk with Peter and educator Lester Laminack about how we can encourage dreamers of all forms to feel included, engaged, and welcomed whether it's at home, in the classroom, or on the playground. Additional Resources: More about Happy Dreamer by Peter H. Reynolds More about Lester Laminack Guests: Peter H. Reynolds is an author and illustrator of children's books, including The Dot, Ish, The North Star, and Happy Dreamer. He is also the founder of the educational media company FableVision. Lester Laminack is an award-winning author and educator and Professor Emeritus from Western Carolina University where he taught writing workshop, children's literature, and reading.  Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

How many times have you heard the story of Cinderella? Or Beauty and the Beast? Probably dozens. And yet somehow, they never get old. No matter how they're told and re-told, we know good will triumph over evil, our heroine will find love, and everyone will live happily ever after. But why do those stories have so much appeal? Today, we have two fairy tale experts joining us to share their thoughts on why these stories have endured generation after generation: authors Sarah Mlynowski and Garth Nix. Sarah and Garth are two writers who have often fractured, or re-told, fairy tales. Sarah, for her bestselling Whatever After series, and Garth, in his most recent YA novel, Frogkisser!.  Additional Resources: More about the Whatever After series by Sarah Mlynowski More about Frogkisser! by Garth Nix Researchers believe Beauty and the Beast is based on a story that's nearly 4,000 years old Guests: Sarah Mlynowski is the New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series, the Magic in Manhattan series, Gim

This week, we're talking about the importance of raising children's voices. First, we're joined by Carmen Agra Deedy, the acclaimed author of the new picture book The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!, an allegorical tale of a brave, little rooster in a town where singing has been outlawed. Carmen shares the story of her own childhood as a Cuban refugee living in Decatur, Georgia, and talks about the importance of the message that children should be encouraged to speak their truths. Next, we talk with Dana McDonough, a second grade teacher who was named the 2016 State Teacher of the Year from New York. Dana tells us how she works to make every child feel heard in her classroom. Additional Resources: More information on The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin Dana McDonough's blog post about invisible backpacks More about Carmen Agra Deedy Guests: Carmen Agra Deedy is one of America's most foremost storytellers. Her many award-winning books include Martina the Beau

On February 16, we are celebrating the power of the read aloud with World Read Aloud Day. Every year, this global celebration calls attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read out loud. In fact, data from Scholastic's Kids & Family Reading Report shows us that reading aloud to children regularly from birth is crucial for their happiness and their development as readers. Today, we'll explore why that is and hear from four guests who have all been powerfully impacted by their memories of childhood read-alouds. Guests: Pam Allyn is a literacy expert and the founder of LitWorld, the organization behind World Read Aloud Day. She is also a co-author of Every Child a Super Reader. Ernest Morrell is an award-winning author, teacher, and researcher, and a co-author of Every Child a Super Reader. Nick Cannon is an actor, comedian, rapper, and the author of Neon Aliens Ate My Homework. Andrea Davis Pinkney is a Coretta Scott King Award-winning aut

In the sixth edition of our Kids & Family Reading Report, we asked U.S. parents and children about their attitudes and behaviors around reading books for fun, and now the results are in! Key findings reveal what kids and parents look for in children's books, the increase in reading aloud to children from an early age, the inequities around access to books in the home, and more. View all our findings and learn more about the methodology behind the survey at scholastic.com/readingreport. Be sure to keep an eye out for forthcoming episodes diving more deeply into the topics of reading aloud and summer reading! Guests:  Kristen Harmeling is a senior vice president at YouGov, a third-party, international market research firm, and the manager of the Kids & Family Reading Report national project.  Donalyn Miller has taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade language arts and social studies in the Fort Worth, TX, area and was a finalist for 2010 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. She is a reading advocate, the author of two

Scholastic Reads recently celebrated its first anniversary, and we wanted to mark the occasion by sharing some of our favorite moments from the last year! In this short episode, we'll hear clips from Lauren Tarshis (I Survived series), Sonia Manzano (Becoming Maria), Edwidge Danticat (Untwine), Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants series), Ann M. Martin (The Baby-sitters Club series), Arthur A. Levine (publisher and editor), David Levithan (author and editor), Cheryl Klein (editor), and Pam Muñoz Ryan (Esperanza Rising). Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or visit scholasticreads.com to listen to all of our episodes! Links to the full episodes for each clip are below. Lauren Tarshis: Episode #19, "Stories of Survival with Lauren Tarshis" Sonia Manzano: Episode #8, "Sonia Manzano: Shaping a Life Story" Edwidge Danticat: Episode #18, "Edwidge Danticat: Beating the Darkness" Dav Pilkey: Episode #29, "Dav Pilkey: Using Humor to Get Kids Reading" Ann M. Martin: Episode #20, "The Baby-sitters Club Turns 30" Ar

Laughter is a universal language, and Dav Pilkey speaks it fluently. The award-winning author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants series joins us in the studio this week to introduce his newest series, Dog Man, and to talk about why funny books are often the right books to spark a love of reading. Dav also shares his own story about growing up with ADHD, dyslexia, and behavioral problems, and leaves us with some wise words of hope and encouragement for children who might be struggling with similar issues today. Additional Resources: Visit Planet Pilkey for games, videos, resources and more about Dav Pilkey's books Download the free Planet Pilkey app for your iOS or Android device to create an avatar, play games, make comics, find your favorite characters, and more! See more about Dog Man See more about Captain Underpants Guests: When Dav Pilkey was a kid, he suffered from ADHD, dyslexia, and behavioral problems. Dav was so disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the hall every day. Luc

The holidays bring many wonderful thing to Scholastic, chief among them, the employee book fair! There's something for readers of every age, from picture books, coloring books, and cookbooks, to how-to books, graphic novels, and memoirs. In this episode, we talked with colleagues who are shopping and volunteering at the fair to find out what are the must-have books this holiday season. Here's a list of all the books mentioned in this episode with links to their Goodreads pages: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen One Plus One by Jojo Moyes Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Movie Tie-in books Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne Harry Potter and the Sorcerer' Stone Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay Slide and Find Animal

Pam Muñoz Ryan, the celebrated and critically acclaimed author of Esperanza Rising, The Dreamer, and Riding Freedom, among many others, joins us in the studio today with her editor, Tracy Mack, to talk about her writing process, the genesis of her latest New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor novel, Echo, and why so many of her novels contain themes of social justice. Additional Resources:More about EchoPam Muñoz Ryan on TwitterPam Muñoz Ryan's websiteAbout Echo:Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge

Libraries are the heart of a school, but many suffer from chronic under-funding. Author James Patterson is working to change that. In this episode, he joins us to discuss his pledge to donate $1.75 million to school libraries for the second year in a row. We also hear from librarian Teresa Israel, who works at one of the schools that received a grant from Patterson’s 2015 pledge.  Guests: James Patterson received the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community at the 2015 National Book Awards. A tireless champion of the power of books and reading, he has created a new children's book imprint, JIMMY Patterson, whose mission is simple: "We want every kid who finishes a JIMMY Book to say, 'PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER BOOK.'" He has donated more than one million books to students and soldiers and has over four hundred Teacher Education Scholarships at 24 colleges and universities. He has also donated millions to independent bookstores and school libraries. Patterson will be investing pr