Scholastic Reads

Latest Episodes:

Art, Tragedy, and Ghost Stories: A Conversation with Daniel José Older Sep 21, 2017

Show notes

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 his efforts to bring more diversity to children's literature.

Additional Resources:

Guests:

Daniel José Older is the New York Times bestselling author of the Young Adult series the Shadowshaper Cypher (Scholastic), the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series (Penguin), and the upcoming Middle Grade sci-fi adventure Flood City (Scholastic). He won the International Latino Book Award and has been nominated for the Kirkus Prize, the Mythopoeic Award, the Locus Award, the Andre Norton Award, and yes, the World Fantasy Award. Shadowshaper was named one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read.

Special thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

Getting Families Engaged in the Classroom Sep 07, 2017

Show notes

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). We'll also hear from Dana McDonough, the 2016 New York State Teacher of the Year, who shares ways that she works to engage her students' families and the community at large in her classroom.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about the importance of family and community engagement from our Teacher & Principal School Report
Learn more about Dr. Mapp's new book, Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success

Guests:

Dr. Karen L. Mapp is a senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Faculty Director of the Education Policy and Management Master’s Program. She is also co-author of the new book for educators Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success.
Dana McDonough is the 2016 State Teacher of the Year from New York. She is a district literacy specialist in Newburgh, NY.

Special thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

Summer Short: Middle Grade Read-Alouds Aug 24, 2017

Show notes

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. According to data from our recent Kids and Family Reading Report, the frequency of reading aloud drops off significantly after children turn 5, and again after they turn 8. But kids between the ages of 6 and 11 overwhelmingly reported that they still enjoy being read to! In the spirit of those findings, this week, we’re sharing five read-alouds for your 8- to 12-year-old.

Additional Resources:

More information about the Dog Man series
Listen to our episode with Dav Pilkey, the creator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man
More information about Beetle Boy by M. G. Leonard
Listen to our episode with M. G. Leonard, the author of Beetle Boy
More information about the Horizon series
Listen to our episode with Scott Westerfeld, the author of Horizon
More information about Refugee by Alan Gratz
Listen to our episode with Alan Gratz, the author of Refugee
More information about Pam Muñoz Ryan
Listen to our episode with Pam Muñoz Ryan
See more data around the importance of reading aloud

Special Thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

Summer Short: Picture Book Read-Alouds and 50 Brilliant Books for Summer Aug 10, 2017

Show notes

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 Zog and the Flying Doctors
Scholastic Teacher's 50 Brilliant Books for Summer
See more data around the importance of reading aloud

Guests:

Tara Welty is the Editor-in-Chief of Scholastic Teacher. Tara is also Vice President, group Editorial Director and Editor of Scholastic ART magazine and Teacher Resources at Scholastic.

Special Thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

Making Magic with Wings of Fire Jul 27, 2017

Show notes

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:

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 the bestselling Spirit Animals and Seekers series (as part of the Erin Hunter team). In 2009, she was a two-day champion on Jeopardy! She lives in Massachusetts with her wonderful husband, two adorable sons, and one very patient dog. To learn more about Tui's books, visit her online at www.tuibooks.com.
Amanda Maciel is an executive editor at Scholastic and a YA author. Find her on Twitter @amandamaciel12

Special Thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

25 Years of Goosebumps Jul 13, 2017

Show notes

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 Jack, and SlappyWorld #3: I Am Slappy's Evil Twin
Get more information about the Goosebumps movie
See a photo of R.L. Stine's finger that's written 300 books
See a photo of Ryan Gosling in "Say Cheese and Die"

Guests:

R.L. Stine is the author of the Goosbumps series and one of the best-selling children's authors in history. Follow him on Twitter @rl_stine
Gina Asprocolas is an internal communications manager at Scholastics and quite possibly one of the biggest Goosebumps fans of all time (or, at least in New Jersey).

Special thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

Telling the Stories of Refugees Jun 22, 2017

Show notes

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 with the International Rescue Committee, traveling to Greece and Serbia to meet with refugees living in limbo in the refugee camps. They join us in the studio this week to share some of those stories.

Additional resources:

Pre-order a copy of Refugee by Alan Gratz: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local independent bookstore
See more of Alan Gratz's work
Watch Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody's emotional reunion with the Alassy family
Watch Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody talk with refugees, including the 10-year-old artist Farhad Nouri
Follow along with Mandy Patinkin's work with the International Rescue Committee
Learn more about the International Rescue Committee

Guests:

Alan Gratz is the author of several books for young readers, including Prisoner B-3087, Code of Honor, and Projekt 1065. He lives with his family in North Carolina. Find him online at www.alangratz.com or on Twitter @alangratz
Mandy Patinkin is an actor and singer. Find him on Twitter @PatinkinMandy and on Facebook here
Kathryn Grody is an actress and writer

Special thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

Openly, Honestly Bill: Bill Konigsberg on Reading and Writing with Pride Jun 08, 2017

Show notes

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 novella, Openly, Honestly here
See more of our recommendations for great Pride Month reads
Follow along with our #ReadWithPride campaign on Twitter and Instagram

Guests:

Bill Konigsberg is the author of novels including Openly Straight, which was named to the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults list, and The Porcupine of Truth, which won the Stonewall Book Award and the PEN Center Literary Award. Bill lives in Arizona with his husband. Visit him online at billkonigsberg.com and follow him at @billkonigsberg.
Deimosa Webber-Bey is the Library Manager at Scholastic and is responsible for the corporate archive, readers advisory, cataloging, and the employee book club. She also taught for several years in public schools in Queens, Brooklyn, Albuquerque, and the Pueblo of Jemez.
Jeremy Goodwin is the Art Director for Scholastic's Corporate Communications department. With the mission of elevating the brand under a unified message, he contributes to high-level projects across the divisions of Scholastic. An alumnus of Parsons School of Design, he has been in the industry for over ten years and is also an avid reader and independent artist.

Special thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan
Produced by Emily Morrow

Writing About War for Young Readers May 25, 2017

Show notes

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 Adventures and two titles in The 39 Clues series for young readers. He has also written books like One Day the Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War for older readers. When he is not writing books, he can usually be found wandering around Philadelphia talking to his dog. For more information, visit: www.calexanderlondon.com.
Kate Messner is the author of The Seventh Wish; All the Answers; The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., winner of the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award for Older Readers; Capture the Flag, an SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner; Hide and Seek; Manhunt; and the Ranger in Time and Marty McGuire chapter book series. A former middle-school English teacher, Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family. Visit her online at katemessner.com.
Lauren Tarshis’s acclaimed and bestselling I Survived series, which has more than 23 million copies in print to date, tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters. Lauren has brought her signature warmth and comprehensive research to topics such as the sinking of the Titanic, the destruction of Pompeii, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In addition to being an author, Lauren is the editor of Storyworks, an acclaimed national language arts classroom magazine for grades 4-6 and the newly-launched Storyworks Jr. for grade 3. She lives in Westport, Connecticut, and can be found online at laurentarshis.com.

Special thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

Meet the Kids Press May 11, 2017

Show notes

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:

Guests:

Esther Appelstein is a 12-year-old member of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps from St Louis, Missouri. Esther joined the Kids Press in 2015.
Adedayo Perkovich is a 13-year-old member of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps from New York, New York. Adedayo joined the Kids Press in 2014.
Titus Smith III is an 11-year-old member of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps from Southfield, Michigan. Titus joined the Kids Press in 2016.
Maxwell Surprenant is a 13-year-old member of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps from Needham, Massachusetts. Maxwell joined the Kids Press in 2015.
Michael Cappetta is an alumnus of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps program and a producer at NBC Universal.

Special thanks:

Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson
Produced by Emily Morrow

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