Scholastic Reads

Research shows that when children and their families have the resources they need to read throughout the summer, fewer students experience a loss of skills while school is out. This week, we're talking with two experts about ways they work to keep books in the hands of their students all summer long, and the incredible results they've seen as a result of their focus on summer reading.  F...

This week, we're taking a look at the maker movement. What does a makerspace look like? Why are libraries considered the perfect place to host a makerspace? And what does being a maker mean, anyway? First, we talk with Kristina Holzweiss, a media specialist at Bay Shore Middle School in New York who is spearheading the maker movement across Long Island. Later, we sit down with two Scholastic emplo...

This week, we're talking with Varian Johnson, author of the new middle grade book  The Parker Inheritance . Varian  talks about his inspiration for the book, the research it took to dig back into his own hometown’s past, and about social justice — how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. Additional resources : More about The Parker Inheritance More about Varian Johnson Read th...

This week, we're introducing you to some of the incredible members of 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, sports events, entertainment and more from their hometowns and on the global stage. Since the application fo...

April 4, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and to honor his life and legacy, we're sitting down with Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, the author and illustrator behind Martin Rising: Requiem for a King  Andrea and Brian share how they were inspired to create the book, which is a combination of poetry and colorful artwork; how they work tog...

Did a beloved teacher ever read aloud to your class when you were a kid? Did a friend or relative ever hand you a book that became a lifelong favorite? That's what we're talking about today—the magic of reading role models, individuals who play a crucial role in helping kids succeed. First, we talk with Malcolm Mitchell, the author of the picture book  The Magician's Hat , the founder of Read...

Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, the nation's attention has shifted to the issue of school safety. But how do we reassure children after traumatic events? Our guests this week offer advice for parents and educators on helping kids cope with fear and anxiety. First, we speak with Dr. Jamie Howard, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute,...

This week, we're talking with Sayantani DasGupta, the author of the forthcoming middle grade fantasy novel  The Serpent's Secret , in which sixth grader Kiranmala discovers she's a princess...and an interdemensional demon slayer! Sayantani talks with her 13-year-old daughter, Sunaya, who is a Scholastic News Kids Press Corps reporter, and tells us about her childhood ask a daughter of immigra...

This week, we're talking with creators who saw a void in the marketplace: books with black girls as the heroines. Marley Dias, a 13-year-old from New Jersey who has been hailed as someone who "could be president in 30 years" by InStyle, is the founder of the #1000BlackGirlBooks hashtag andthe ensuing movement. We talk with her about her own  book,  Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can Yo...

This week, we're talking with Christopher Paul Curtis, the author of many beloved, award-winning books for young readers including  The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963  and  Bud, Not Buddy . He's joining us via Skype from his home in Canada to talk about his newest book, The Journey of Little Charlie , the latest installment in the Buxton Chronicles. Christopher talks about his l...

Happy holidays! We're kicking this episode off by looking ahead to 2018: Three Scholastic Book Clubs editors share their predictions for five trends we're going to see in children's books in 2018. We also take a trip to the annual Scholastic Employee Holiday Book Fair and talk with some of our colleagues about what books are on their must-buy list this holiday season. (Spoiler alert: Everyone want...

With Star Wars fever running high, we are talking with Jarrett Krosoczka this week, the author and illustrator of the two latest books in the Star Wars: Jedi Academy series,  A New Class  and  The Force Oversleeps ! Jarrett talks about how he got his start in children's publishing and what it's been like to take over the helm at Jedi Academy. He also shares a little bit about his fo...

This week, we're talking (and singing!) with Julia Donaldson, the 2011-2013 Children's Laureate in the UK and the author of more than 140 books for children including  The Gruffalo ,  Stick Man , and most recently,  Zog and the Flying Doctors . In this episode, Julia and her husband, Malcolm, share part of their song "Zog and the Flying Doctors," and Julia talks with us about her pa...

This week, we're talking about civics education. At a time when our republic feels particularly unsettled, we’re asking: What do students know about their government? What SHOULD they know? Teachers tell us that there is a critical need for materials that help students understand their role in a democracy and as citizens of the world—whether the lesson is understanding the three branches of govern...

This week, we're taking you with us to the Queens Museum as we attend a special event honoring the Panorama of the City of New York exhibit — a miniature model fo New York City that was built for the 1964-1965 World's Fair. The exhibit plays a pivotal role in Brian Selznick's bestselling novel  Wonderstruck , as well as its recent movie adaptation. We talk with Brian about  Wonderstruck&...

` "I stopped reading books that had humans in them after Harriet [the Spy] because I knew there wouldn't be any humans like me," — Sarah Moon, author of  Sparrow .  At Scholastic, we're proud to publish authors of differend backgrounds, cultures, races, abilities, and orientations. But we also know that many of our authors have felt the same way Sarah did as a child. Like her, many felt...

This week, we're talking myths, magic and metaphors with bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater, whose newest novel, All the Crooked Saints , will be in stores on October 10. Maggie is joined in the studio by her editor, David Levithan, as well as some  extra  special guests: her dad and her brother! Later in the episode, we'll also talk with  Booklist  editor Daniel Kraus about&...

This week, we're joined in the studio by Daniel José Older, author of the  New York Times  bestselling  Shadowshaper , an urban fantasy for young adults that follows the adventures of Sierra Santiago, a Brooklyn teen with supernatural powers. Daniel is also a musician, an artist, and a former paramedic. We're talking with him about his latest book,  Shadowhouse Fall , and about...

Research tells us that when families are engaged in their children's learning, great things happen. But what does it look like when families and educators are working together? To find out, we're talking with Dr. Karen L. Mapp from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (and co-author of Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success).

This week, we’re excited to share another short episode full of read-alouds with you! Here at Scholastic, we know that reading aloud with your child is one of the most important things you can do to, and it shouldn’t stop once they can read on their own.

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!

This week, we're talking with author Tui Sutherland about her New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, Wings of Fire.

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 t...

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...

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&n...