Podcasts about scholastic reads

In July 1992, Scholastic published the first Goosebumps book by R.L. Stine for young readers nationwide. Never before had a book series attempted to be just scary enough for children and very quickly one thing became clear, kids loved it. In the three decades since its debut, Goosebumps has become one of the best-selling children's book series of all time. With over 400 million books in print, two feature films, video games, consumer products, multiple television adaptations, and more in store for 2025, Goosebumps continues to be one of the most notable cultural phenomena of the past century. This January 10th, 2025 marked the release of the second season of the thrilling live-action Disney+ anthology series Goosebumps: The Vanishing, and this coming March will see the release of R.L. Stine's newest book in his House of Shivers series, Say My Name, Say My Name. In today's episode, guest-host Billy DiMichele is joined by the master of horror himself, R.L. Stine, to talk all things funny and scary, while later in the program, we get to hear from Jayden Bartels, one of the stars of Disney+'s newly released Goosebumps: The Vanishing. → Resources About R.L. Stine: Learn more about the author and his many books. About Goosebumps: Learn more about the thrilling Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. About Goosebumps: The Vanishing: Learn more about the newest installment of the live-action Goosebumps television series, executive produced by Scholastic Entertainment, and now available to stream in full on Disney+ and Hulu. Spooky stories for Halloween: Suzanne McCabe interviews R.L. Stine about what it is about spine-chilling books that's so compelling for young readers, in this spooky-season-themed 2019 Scholastic Reads episode. 25 Years of Goosebumps: R.L. Stine visits Scholastic Reads to talk about the 25th anniversary of the Goosebumps series in this 2017 Scholastic Reads episode. → Highlights R.L. Stine, author, Goosebumps “No one expects this kind of thing. To get so lucky, to have a big bestselling series that lasts. No one plans on it. We had no idea. It all happens, Harry Potter or Hunger Games, Twilight, etc. because of kids. Kids telling kids.” “I LOVE the middle-grade audience.” “I think horror is funny. [It] makes me laugh.” “I'm a huge believer that television shows really encourage reading. Back in the 90s, when the original Goosebumps series went on FOX kids, we gained a million readers a month. So, I've always been a big believer that television can encourage reading.” Jayden Bartels, actor, Goosebumps: The Vanishing “I think it's so interesting how [R.L. Stine] found a way to scare children without giving them nightmares.” “I think it was a big thing for this show, taking the monsters, we all know and love and grew up on, and bringing in new characters and new stories to life.” “We can bring in a new perspective that the younger generation can relate to. And I think that the characters in the show are so multifaceted and so deep and layered.” → Special Thanks Producers: Maxine Osa, Anne Sparkman, Allyson Barkan Sound Engineer: S. Shin Music Composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon I SPY LOVE

At six years old, Rebecca Elliott knew she wanted to write and illustrate books for kids. Today, she is doing exactly that with her hugely popular book series, Owl Diaries and Unicorn Diaries. This coming January marks the 10th anniversary of the Owl Diaries' debut, and in today's episode Rebecca joins guest-host Billy DiMichele to talk about the milestone, the success of her hugely popular books, and the animated Apple TV+ series Eva the Owlet, which recently announced its return for a second season and the release of a very special holiday episode. → Resources About Rebecca Elliot: Learn more about the author and her many books. About The Owl Diaries: In Rebecca's widely popular book series, Owl Diaries, readers follow the adventures of Eva Wingdale, a young owl who navigates school life, friendships, and various challenges in her town of Treetopolis. About Eva the Owlet: The Apple TV+ animated series based on the bestselling Owl Diaries book series, produced by Scholastic Entertainment. About the Unicorn Diaries: Rebecca's other entertaining book series follows the adventures of Bo Tinseltail, a young unicorn with the power to grant wishes, as he navigates life in Sparklegrove Forest. Owl Diaries: Rebecca Elliott on Reading Aloud and Eva the Owlet: Suzanne McCabe speaks with Rebecca Elliott in this 2023 Scholastic Reads episode about the runaway success of Owl Diaries, its Eva the Owlet adaptation, and her participation in World Read Aloud Day 2023. Growing Readers with Branches and Acorns: In this 2019 episode, Suzanne McCabe interviews Katie Carella, Executive Editor at Scholastic, about the Branches and Acorn books and their impact. She also speaks with authors Troy Cummings (The Notebook of Doom), Rebecca Elliott (Owl Diaries), and Jonathan Fenske (Crabby) about creating these engaging books for kids. → Highlights Rebecca Elliott, author, illustrator Owl Diaries “[It's] mind-blowing that [my books] could play the smallest role in a child's journey into books, which to me is one of the most important of journeys, as it's not only for entertainment, but it builds your worldview. It shapes your curiosity and knowledge.” “There's something about [owls] that's so elusive and imaginary even though they're clearly not. We can almost imagine that they have a secret world where they do wear berets and go to owl elementary school. And the fact that they are such great fodder to write about for children. They have big eyes, they can fly, they have super hearing, and super sight. They are incredible creatures and just so wonderful to wrap this story around.” “I was always drawing. Always, always, from as far back as I can remember. That's what I did with most of my time. And then I would make up stories about the drawings I [created].” “I think kids are just as interested in stories now, as they ever were. And that's never going away. It's a human need to want stories.” → Special Thanks Producers: Maxine Osa, Anne Sparkman, Allyson Barkan Sound Engineer: S. Shin Music Composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon R.L. Stine and actor Jayden Bartels talk all things Goosebumps with Billy DiMichele

For decades Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl has inspired and challenged readers to look for the good in an often-brutal world. In today's episode, critically acclaimed author, Alice Hoffman, joins host Suzanne McCabe to talk about her newest young adult novel When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary, which reimagines the life of Anne Frank before she wrote her famous diary. This gripping and lyrical novel, informed by extensive research and extraordinary support from the Anne Frank Center, captures the highs, lows, and unyielding hope of Anne and her family during the harrowing Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. Amid danger, deprivation, and countless indignities, a young Anne Frank discovers who she is and cultivates the writer within her. In addition to When We Flew Away, Alice Hoffman has written over thirty works of fiction, including The Dovekeepers, The World That We Knew, and Practical Magic to name a few. → Resources About Alice Hoffman: Learn more about the author and her many novels. When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary: Check out Alice Hoffman's latest novel about Anne Frank before her writing her famous diary. Hope From the Holocaust: Suzanne McCabe speaks with authors Neal Shusterman and Sharon Cameron about their latest novels Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust, and Artifice. The Tower of Life: Suzanne McCabe talks with author Chana Stiefel about The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs. → Highlights Alice Hoffman, author, When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary “A lot of other people and teenagers wrote diaries, but [Anne Frank's], I think, kind of transcends just being her personal story. It feels much more universal. And I think also that she was a fantastic writer. So she was a great writer. And so I think her voice reminds us, because it's so innocent and so helpful that, I think it has to come in many ways for us, the Holocaust, because it's a story that she will not let us forget.” “For one, I would hope that [readers of When We Flew Away] they would want to go read the diary. And for the other part, I hope that they would want to read about somebody who really had hope in the world, despite the cruelty, despite the war, who really felt that people were good at heart and that it was still possible to change the world.” “I thought there might be lots of young readers who wouldn't know anything about [Anne Frank], wouldn't even know who she was. So, I think as you're reading [When We Flew Away], you're seeing that the world is closing in and you're having a sense that, there's not going to be a positive ending for the Jews in the Netherlands, but you really kind of want to find out what happens to [Anne]. How does she get through it? How does somebody manage to stumble, live that life is worth living.” → Special Thanks Producer: Maxine Osa Sound Engineer: S. Shin Music Composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon Rebecca Elliot with guest host Billy DiMichele

In honor of Hispanic/Latiné Heritage Month, we've invited Francisco X. Stork to talk about his latest young adult novel, One Last Chance to Live. Francisco, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico at the age of nine with his mother and adoptive father, is the author of several award-winning novels, including Marcelo in the Real World, Disappeared, and The Memory of Light. Francisco calls One Last Chance to Live “the most personal of all my books.” → Resources About Francisco X. Stork: Learn more about the author and his many novels for young readers. Celebrating Hispanic and Latiné Heritage Month: Check out these titles for the young readers in your life. → Highlights Francisco X. Stork, author, One Last Chance to Live “Once you start writing, the characters take over, and it's their story that becomes important.” “When I was a little boy in Mexico, I used to tell people . . . ‘I want to be a writer.'” “This is a month in which we see the contributions of immigrants, who decided to live in this country and who love this country, like me.” → Special Thanks Producer: Maxine Osa Sound engineer: S. Shin Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon Alice Hoffman: When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary

In this episode, we're spotlighting bestselling author Aaron Blabey. Aaron visited our New York City headquarters in late 2023 from his home in Australia. He talked with host Suzanne McCabe about the genesis of Cat on the Run, his latest series for young readers. In Book 1, Cat on the Run in Cat of Death!, Princess Beautiful, the world's biggest cat video star, is accused of a crime she didn't commit. Can the most famous feline on the planet avoid capture and prove her innocence? Readers will find out in Aaron's hilarious new trilogy about the perils of social media and cancel culture. You probably know Aaron from The Bad Guys, his mega-bestselling book series. The Bad Guys was made into an animated movie in 2022 by Universal Pictures and DreamWorks. A sequel is on the way next summer. Aaron is also the author of the popular series Pig the Pug and Thelma the Unicorn. With the 20th and final installment of The Bad Guys due out in November, Aaron says that he's ready to step away from writing. “I always wrote my books specifically for my own kids, to make them laugh, but now they're all grown up,” he told Publishers Weekly. “It was a magical time but it's over, just like childhood. It's bittersweet but it's also beautiful.” → Resources Cat on the Run in Cat of Death!: How do you avoid capture and prove your innocence when you're the most famous feline on the planet? Princess Beautiful finds out the hard way. Cat on the Run in Cucumber Madness: Social media star Princess Beautiful has been plunged into a world where danger lurks everywhere, and cucumbers are no laughing matter. The Bad Guys: In Aaron's wildly-popular book series, The Bad Guys, a motley collection of wannabe heroes are doing good deeds—whether you like it or not. → Highlights Aaron Blabey, bestselling author and illustrator On creating the character of Princess Beautiful in Cat on the Run: “She was inspired by the world we currently live in, I have to say. My kids are now 15 and 18, and I've been watching them navigating social media…. I've been watching with interest how that universe is sort of playing out in the world. I also have a really highly strung cat. Those two things . . . and the old movie The Fugitive, they all kind of clicked together in my head, and Cat on the Run popped out.” On writing The Bad Guys: “I was only trying to make my son laugh, but it seems that the same stuff that makes him laugh has made lots of other kids laugh.” On writing graphic novels: “We live in a world where kids are just bombarded with visual information, and they're so visually literate. What I've tried to do with The Bad Guys and also certainly with Cat on the Run is do something that feels relevant for them.” → Special Thanks Producer: Maxine Osa Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon Alice Hoffman: When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary

“Children are just suffering more,” says Dr. Linda C. Mayes, director of the Yale Child Study Center. A pediatrician by training, Dr. Mayes specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry. Like other health care professionals, she is sounding the alarm about the rise in anxiety and depression in young people. In this episode, Dr. Mayes talks with host Suzanne McCabe about the reasons for this disturbing trend and explores how we, as a society, can address the challenges our children are facing. Dr. Mayes is also the Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and Special Advisor to the Dean at the Yale School of Medicine. She heads the Child Study Center–Scholastic Collaborative, which arose from a shared commitment to exploring how literacy can be used to foster resilience among children and families. → Resources New Mental Health Resource From Scholastic: Check out our new online hub of books and curated, free resources fostering emotional health with insights from leading child development experts. Meet Dr. Linda C. Mayes: The director of the Yale Child Study Center, Dr. Mayes is an expert in developmental psychology, pediatrics, and child psychiatry literature. Kids & Family Reading Report: There's lots to explore in Scholastic's biennial national survey of parents' and children's reading attitudes and behaviors. Reach Out and Read: Learn how the nonprofit organization partners with pediatric care providers to help families make reading a part of their routines. → The Conversation What trends are you seeing at the Yale Child Study Center in terms of children's mental health? What types of emotional and behavioral disorders are kids presenting? At the Child Study Center here in New Haven, what we're seeing is no different than what's being seen across the country and around the world. The increase in mental health needs among children and adolescents often is framed as a post-COVID phenomenon. But over the past few years, there's been a steady increase in children's mental health needs—depression, suicidality, anxiety, increased feelings of stress—that speaks to an overall stress among children and families. COVID and the pandemic added to the mental health crisis. The pandemic also highlighted some of the fragilities in our healthcare system. One might think in the same way, that the pandemic highlighted the mental health needs and vulnerabilities of our youngest citizens, and that we're seeing an increased volume is important to know. We're also seeing an increase in severity. Children are just suffering more, and we're seeing children thinking about suicide at an earlier age. We're seeing more eating disorders starting at an earlier age. Our children's distress is also an expression of the increasing distress and fragmentation of our society. Children, in a sense, are like the canaries in the coal mine. They're experiencing the distress, the increased lack of civility, the increased fragmentation. The lack of civility and lack of empathy among adults is striking. Where did that come from? I think there are multiple causes. We've had an economically stressed society. We have the stresses of the pandemic. We have a politically divided society now. Whatever side of the aisle you're on, to use that metaphor, it's very hard to cross the aisle. We've lost the ability to have a conversation where you see the other person as an individual who may or may not agree with you, but who is still an individual worthy of respect. How to do that is a fundamental skill. It's the glue that holds society together. When children see and feel and experience that kind of fracturing, it's not good for their—or anyone's—mental health. What signs should parents and educators look for if they think a child needs clinical intervention? When children are just not themselves, when they've changed, when they might have been the outgoing, playful, always-helping child who now is quiet, maybe even a little bit irritable, when there's a real change in who they are in their presentation. Typically, people talk about when grades start to go down. That's another indicator. When kids start to lose their enjoyment for the things they dearly loved. If they love to read, for example, but they stop reading. Or they love to play with friends, but now they just want to stay in the house. Those kinds of changes in behavior are important to notice. It's not always the child who's sad and withdrawn. It can be the child who suddenly is acting out or the child who is now afraid of a whole number of things. Those kinds of changes, and especially parents who know their children well, when they see that they're just not themselves, that's what to pay attention to. If a child is withdrawn, they may not want to speak. Are there ways to spur conversation without asking repeated questions? One of the most important ways is to be present. Sometimes, it may be taking a walk, or reading a book together, or just doing something together. Silence can be quite deafening. In our busy lives, families don't often have those moments, those dinner-together moments, or those quiet walk-after-dinner together moments, or those times just sitting on the steps and talking. Those are the kinds of moments that bring people together. A child may not start talking right then. They may need to have a bit of quiet reassurance that, yes, somebody is going to be there, and they're going to be listening. Many areas in the U.S. have a shortage of mental health professionals. What is being done to make treatment more accessible and more effective? There's a shortage of healthcare professionals broadly, and there's a shortage of healthcare professionals around children's needs broadly. That includes physicians, pediatricians, psychologists, and social workers, because mental health for children is delivered not just by one profession. Before addressing what is being done and what can be done, we need to ask the question of why. Why is there a shortage of healthcare providers, especially post-COVID, but why is there especially a shortage of mental health providers? There are a few reasons that we, as a society, need to look at very deeply. One of them is how we think about mental health. We often think about it as “the other,” that it's not a part of overall health, that it's not a part of physical health. The division between physical and mental health is an artificial one. They go together. Another why is the stigma about mental health. As much as we've tried to work on it, it's still alive and well in this country. It still impacts policy and decisions that people make about going into the field. It affects how we reimburse and support mental health, especially children's mental health. Generally, children's health is reimbursed less. By reimbursement, I mean by commercial payers and the individuals or institutions that pay for care. Then you take children's mental health care and it's not on par with other kinds of care. It's very hard [for a health care professional] to make a wage that would support themselves and their family after years of training. So, we have a reimbursement structure that also perpetuates the bias. As a country, we need to put that front and center because the other things we can do to improve access or care will be great and are great. During the pandemic, we learned a lot about the delivery of telehealth. We learned how to deliver mental health care across virtual platforms, making it available to children and families across state lines, from rural to urban, extending the capacity of a clinician in an urban area. We still need to increase broadband access in rural areas, and states need to work together so that clinicians can deliver care across state lines. We've also learned that some children need just a few sessions with a mental health care provider. Some even respond to one or two sessions. Thinking more creatively about how we deliver services across telehealth platforms will improve access dramatically. We're in a revolutionary time for mental health care for kids. Can you describe the mechanisms by which literacy can lead to improved physical and mental health outcomes? How does literacy impact health? It opens the world. You learn what a variety of people do. You also learn about your body. You learn how it works, what's good and not good. Reading—including storytelling—is stress-relieving. Reading has dropped blood pressure to a healthy level in some studies. It's what we call emotionally organizing. Reading also brings people together. If you've read a good book, you tell a friend about it, and soon the two of you are talking about that book. The same is true if a child brings you a book and wants you to read it. Reading builds interpersonal links between parent and child or teacher and child. It's a very strong glue for building relationships. And we know from research that relationships and social connectedness have as strong an impact on health as good nutrition and not smoking, for example. So, it's through those areas, and then another, what we would call a meta or proxy variable: If you're more literate, you're more educated. If you're more educated, you know how to access health resources better. You make better choices. Yet we have two systems—our healthcare system and our educational system. The two don't always work together. What's good for kids in this country is to bring health and education together. There's a significant finding in Scholastic's latest Kids & Family Reading Report that reinforces this notion. Kids who read more reported better mental health overall, with fewer occurrences of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Yes, and that's a very important finding. As a researcher, though, I need to warn that it's associative and not necessarily causal. It may be that children who have better mental health read more and by reading more, they feel better. The report also found that 41% of students get most of their books at school, which highlights the importance of teacher curation and accessibility. Are you and other experts seeing adverse effects on children due to book banning? I deeply worry for our society because of book banning. In my world, the medical world, we talk about symptoms that are the danger signs of something more serious. A very high fever, for example, or very high blood pressure, or a very low white blood cell count, indicates that something serious is going on in that individual. I see book banning as one of those indicators of something serious going on in our society, what we talked about earlier, the fractionated society. I can certainly talk about book banning and children, but I think we also need to think about what it says diagnostically about our social fabric. That said, there are no empirical studies about book banning that I know of, but it's just common sense. You don't limit a child's curiosity. You don't say to them, “You shouldn't read this. This book has principles that aren't good for you.” Let them read it and have an open discussion. Let them watch a television program, watch it with them, and have an open discussion. When you ban a book, you're saying that certain forms of knowledge and experience are off-limits. That is just fundamentally against learning, building curiosity, building an ability to engage with the world in any way. I do realize that my stance is from a particularly liberal point of view. I'm very aware of that. At the same time, I know what's good for children and I know what's good for children's learning, and I know that inhibiting or prohibiting pathways to learning in any way is not good for children's cognitive development. What measures among key stakeholders are being taken to improve literacy outcomes for children, even starting with preschoolers? I would say even starting with infancy and prenatally. I think one of the fundamental messages, if you want to go back even further, is that talking, storytelling, building relationships, using words, is a fundamental literacy skill. So, a mom or a couple who are pregnant: Talk to the baby inside the mom's tummy. Build up a repertoire of stories, and when that baby comes, you'll have the repertoire of stories. When you have your infant in your arms, talk to them about the world around them. Tell them stories about yourself. Tell them stories about what just happened during the day. Tell them about the sun and the rain outside. You're building literacy when you do that. Literacy doesn't have to just be by books, by just using words and creating a narrative. That said, while we certainly need more pediatricians in this country, and more access to children's special healthcare, we miss an opportunity in the healthcare world, and this gets back to bringing education and health together. We miss an opportunity to not use pediatricians even more than Reach Out and Read already does. We should use pediatricians as the conduit for literacy and the conduit for books because pediatricians are the individuals or healthcare professionals are the individuals that children see before they are of school age. But it's not just putting books in children's hands, it's also having adults know how to use those books. It's not just reading the words, but helping the child think about what else could have happened in a story. The blue bear did this with his friend, the goose, but what else could bear have done? Or what was goose thinking about? Why do you think goose did that? To really help children expand that narrative and to engage with them around building out the story, not just literally reading the story. In doing that, you're encouraging their imagination. The most fundamental way to build literacy is to build narrative and storytelling. Many teachers are encountering not just mental and emotional challenges among students, but also behavioral issues to an extent they haven't seen before. What advice do you have for educators who are feeling overwhelmed and don't have the resources to address this rise in students' mental health needs? There are three things I would say to teachers. One is that, besides parents, you have the hardest and most responsible job in our society. You're taking care of and launching our next generation. I deeply appreciate not only the work that all teachers do, but also the stress that teachers are under and the burdens they feel. I also would say is that if you can hold in mind, and it's incredibly hard to do, when a child is melting down in front of you or angrily yelling or out of control, that all behavior is a communication, and then take just a little space inside yourself to wonder what is this child trying to tell me? What are they trying to say with this behavior? Maybe the child won't know, but you'll know that they're communicating something through their behavior. Maybe they're trying to say that they're scared. Maybe they're trying to say that they're exhausted. Maybe they're trying to say that they need you or they need someone more, but they're trying to say something. It's a really hard thing to do in the moment, but it's extraordinarily important. Behavioral disruptions are happening across the country at all ages. It's not just kids in classrooms. We're seeing adults lose it in various settings. When children cause behavioral disruptions, the preschool phrase is often, “Use your words.” Preschool teachers know that if you can get the behavior into words, you can help. The third thing I would offer to teachers is, if you can, have a peer or someone else you can talk to. You have your own mental health needs that shouldn't go unheard. Guns are now the leading cause of death among children and teens. Do we know the psychological and social impact of community violence, mass shootings, and even active shooter drills in schools? I have many colleagues who think a lot about this and who are much more expert in it than I. For example, here at the Child Study Center, we have our Child Development-Community Policing Program. My colleagues Steven Marans and Carrie Epstein and the rest of their team, Megan Goslin, are often called to consult and help teachers, and they do that in such a clinically skilled and sensitive way. We have an enormous availability of guns in this country and a history of guns being used to express a range of distress and feelings. The corollary is that it has happened so often, we're numbed by it. A staggering number of mass shootings have happened in this country, defined as four or more injured. Some of them don't even make the news at this point. What's the effect on children? Broadly, school is no longer as safe a place as it once was. What do active shooter drills do? As a researcher, I would want to know more about that, but I'm guessing it makes children more scared. I'm guessing it raises the anxiety level of teachers, too. Whether they're effective for that event, may it never happen, is another question. I've often heard people compare active shooter drills to back when the threat of nuclear war began. Schools had drills, and kids were asked to get under their desks. If you look back on it, it looks kind of crazy. My worry about active shooter drills is, not just are they effective, not just do they raise teachers' anxiety and children's anxiety, but my worry is that we may be putting our attention in the wrong place. We're putting our attention on the possibility that this terrible thing might happen. Really, our attention should be on why? Why is it happening more frequently? Why is it that we can't look at the harsh truth of the availability of guns? Why can we not look at other societies experiencing the same broad global stress that don't have these kinds of mass shootings? Ask those questions. Researchers at the Yale Child Study Center-Scholastic Collaborative have identified altruism as a hallmark of resilience. How can altruism play a role in helping children and communities emerge stronger after a traumatic event? It's not just us. There's a large body of work about altruism across several settings, altruism and prisoner of war situations, altruism during natural disasters. Altruism is a fundamentally human capacity. We also see it in some non-human primates, as well. It's the ability to reach outside of yourself and think about the needs of others, to make some sacrifice of yourself in order to help someone else. So, for example, in the darkest of situations, like in a prisoner of war situation, when you take your food ration and give it to the person next to you who you know is starving, although you yourself don't have much. It's the ability to reach out and make a connection to someone else, thinking outside yourself about someone else's needs. You see it all the time in this country. When there's a tragedy, you see people coming together in the most remarkably altruistic ways: firemen risking their own lives to bring a family to safety, families who have almost nothing bringing everything they have to the neighbor down the street whose house was wiped out by a tornado. It's a basic human. We survive because we are a community. So, what can we do more of? Talk about altruism. Highlight it. Altruism is good for your health. It's a very ironic message, that by sacrificing yourself for someone else, you also are doing something good for yourself. You're improving your own health and your own likelihood of a healthy outcome. But you don't do it for that reason. You do it because of the basic human need to create community. → Special Thanks Producer: Maxine Osa Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon Top Story: Author Kelly Yang Talks With a Scholastic Kid Reporter A Darker Mischief: Celebrate Pride Month With Author Derek Millman

If you've ever been to summer camp, or wish you had gotten the chance to go, you'll love hearing author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka talk with host Suzanne McCabe about his latest graphic memoir. It's called Sunshine: How One Camp Taught Me About Life, Death, and Hope. Camp Sunshine is not just any camp. It's a place in Maine where seriously ill kids and their families get the opportunity to just be themselves and enjoy campfire stories, wilderness activities, and the company of others who also are facing extraordinary challenges. During his senior year of high school in Worcester, Massachusetts, Jarrett signed up to be a counselor at Camp Sunshine. While he looked forward to the experience, he didn't quite know what to expect. He didn't know that it would change his life forever. Sunshine, which is published by Scholastic Graphix, is the recipient of the 2023 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, among other honors. Jarrett is also the author of the award-winning graphic memoir, Hey Kiddo!, and the wildly-popular Lunch Lady graphic novel series. To find out when he will be visiting your area, follow him on Twitter and Instagram @StudioJKK. → Resources Studio JJK (https://www.studiojjk.com/): Learn more about Jarrett's books and Ted Talks, and get writing and illustrating tutorials from a master. Express Yourself (https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/02/23/are-kids-born-with-art-skills/): Jarrett is featured in this Washington Post article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/02/23/are-kids-born-with-art-skills/) about how everyone can benefit from creating art. Hey, Kiddo: A Conversation About Family, Addiction and Art (https://oomscholasticblog.com/podcast/hey-kiddo-conversation-about-family-addiction-and-art): Hear Jarrett talk with Scholastic Reads podcast host Suzanne McCabe about the challenges he overcame as a child to become an award-winning author and illustrator. → Highlights Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author, Sunshine Volunteering at Camp Sunshine “was something as a part of the experience of high school as the prom.” “I kept photo albums, and in those photo albums, I placed [my] sketches. In fact, we basically recreated what my photo albums look like with those chapter headers.” “I hope that young readers can understand that they have the power to make a big difference in someone's life.” “The story is told through the perspective of me . . . a young kid who had his health and was unsure he could make a difference in the life of anyone.” → Special Thanks Producer: Maxine Osa Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon Meet Our Scholastic Kid Reporters Goosebumps Heads Back to Television

In this episode, we're celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with New York Times bestselling comic artist Betty C. Tang. Betty talks with host Suzanne McCabe about her extraordinary new graphic novel, Parachute Kids. The story introduces readers to 10-year-old Feng-Li, a Taiwanese girl who can't wait to vacation in the United States with her family. But she gets shocking news along the way. Her parents will be heading back to Taiwan after the family's vacation, leaving Feng-Li and her older brother and sister to fend for themselves. By turns harrowing and hilarious, the story shows the siblings learning to navigate a strange new country and language on their own, while struggling to hold the family together. Betty is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of the Jacky Ha-Ha series of graphic novels by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. She has worked for several Hollywood animation studies, including Disney TV and Dreamworks Animation. She also co-directed an animated feature called Where's the Dragon? → Resources Parachute Kids: Betty C. Tang's graphic novel about three siblings living on their own as undocumented new immigrants is inspired by her own childhood as a parachute kid. Honoring AANHPI Voices: Check out these titles for young readers. → Highlights Betty C. Tang, author, Parachute Kids “A lot of times, books tend to make parents the bad guys, [but] parents who want an opportunity to provide a new life for their children are not villains.” “I wanted to be a manga artist, and I couldn't. So now here I am creating a graphic novel.” “[Feng-Li's] purpose is to hold her family together before she loses everything.” “To the immigrant readers, whether they're parachute kids or not, I would like them to realize that they're not alone and that they can get through this.” “Sometimes, as a newcomer, you really feel like you're the only one.” “I hope the book will help foster a sense of empathy.” → Special Thanks Producer: Constance Gibbs Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Pride Month

In 1941, when Yaffa Eliach was six years old, German troops invaded her town in what was then Poland. Most of the Jewish population was rounded up and murdered. Within two days, 900 years of history was sundered. But Yaffa and her family managed to escape. After the war, Yaffa settled in the United States, where she earned a PhD, writing and telling stories about the Holocaust. Yaffa is the subject of a new picture book by Chana Stiefel. Illustrated by Susan Gal, the book is called The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs. Chana is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for children. In this episode, she talks with host Suzanne McCabe about Yaffa's remarkable story, The Tower of Life, and why it's so important for young people to learn about the Holocaust. → Resources Chana Stiefel: Includes a teaching guide for The Tower of Life and summaries of other books by the award-winning author. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Learn more about Yaffa Eliach's “Tower of Faces,” and get resources for observing International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. → Highlights Chana Stiefel, author, The Tower of Life “Yaffa was born in a shtetl called Eishyshok, which was then part of Poland and now Lithuania. She was born in 1935. When the Nazis invaded, the Jews were rounded up into the synagogue. Her father had told the family to hide.” “Two of Yaffa's grandmothers, not just her mother, worked. One of them sold candles at the local market, and the other was the town photographer. Yaffa's grandfather had visited America in the 1920s, and he came home with this new invention, a camera, and they started a business above the family pharmacy. Everyone would come to have their photo taken. People would send New Year's cards, Rosh Hashanah cards, to their families who had left Eishyshok.” “When Yaffa fled, she had the sense to tuck some of those photos into her shoes. She held onto them throughout the war, and that definitely played a role in the incredible exhibit she later created.” “The focus of my book is not so much the war, but the life before the war and the rebuilding afterward, and how Yaffa rebuilt her town.” “I learned from Yaffa's daughter, Smadar Rosensweig, who is also a professor, that her mother was a groundbreaking teacher and she wanted to teach. She wanted to create a curriculum about the Holocaust. But after the war, many survivors didn't even want to talk about their history, and she felt it was so important. She realized that a lot of the history that was being taught was from the Nazi perspective, and she wanted to change that.” “She encouraged Holocaust survivors to tell their stories, and she began documenting them. And that was groundbreaking work. No one had done that at that point.” “In 1979, President Jimmy Carter wanted to build a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Washington, D.C., and he asked Yaffa to help build a memorial. She didn't want to focus on death and dying and destruction. She wanted to focus on the lives that were lived and the beautiful lives of the people from her town. She remembered the photos she had tucked in her shoes, and she thought, well, other people must have photos, too.” “She traveled for 17 years, to six continents, to nearly all 50 United States, and she collected 6,000 photographs, and she built this “Tower of Life,” which has over a thousand photographs in it.” “Yaffa wanted people to see themselves in these photographs. That, essentially, was her mission. And you do, you connect, because here you are seeing people celebrating with their families, having weddings, playing outdoors, the picture of Yaffa feeding the chickens, hugging each other. And it's very relatable. And you realize the tragic endings for many or most of these people all around her.” “One thing that really was gripping to [illustrator Susan Gal] was that when she started to research Nazis, she was seeing a lot of images come up of present-day Nazis, neo-Nazis. And that was really upsetting and disturbing to her, and she just threw herself entirely into this story because she felt it was so important.” “If you look at the book, you'll see that the pages of the Germans and Nazis invading, those people, the soldiers don't have faces. Because she felt that if you try to take away someone's humanity, you don't deserve to have your face in a book. So she erased their faces.” “When Yaffa and her family were in hiding, her parents taught her that a glimmer of light can chase away the darkness. Yaffa's mother taught her how to read and write by etching letters into the walls of a shelter where they were staying. They were clay walls. You'll see a page where her mother is writing on the wall, and that's actually my Hebrew handwriting. I speak and write in Hebrew. The words are tikvah, which means hope, shalom, which means peace, ohr, which means light and haim, which is life. And those are the major themes of the book.” “When you see a lot of photographs of the Holocaust, you see these horrible photos of emaciated victims, and they're dehumanized. That was what the Nazis mission was, to dehumanize the Jewish people. So that's what you see in the photographs, people who are starving and they don't even look human. By restoring humanity to the victims, Yaffa restored their dignity. [She showed] that these were people just like you and me. And I think that's a universal message, that we need to stop hating each other and bullying, and we need to stop just othering people. We are all human, and we need to see our common bonds.” “There are so many wonderful books out there about Jewish life. In addition to books about the Holocaust, it'd be wonderful if people could also enjoy books about Jewish life.” → Special Thanks Producer: Constance Gibbs Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon World Read Aloud Day Akim Aliu Introduces Dreamer

In this episode, author and illustrator Aaron Blabey talks about the creation of The Bad Guys, his hit book series with Scholastic. The series inspired the 2022 computer-animated film of the same name from DreamWorks Animation. Aaron describes the series, which follows the adventures of a hapless gang of criminal animals who finally do good, as “Tarantino for kids.” The impulse in creating the series, Aaron tells host Suzanne McCabe, “was to make sure my son had a book to read that was fun.” The author and illustrator, who was an award-winning actor in Australia in a previous life, is also the creator of the Pig the Pug series and Thelma the Unicorn. Resources: Aaron Blabey: Learn more about the #1 New York Times best-selling author. The Bad Guys: Read the books. Watch the movie. Highlights: Aaron Blabey, author and illustrator, The Bad Guys: “Mr. Snake is my favorite of the ‘Bad Guys' because he's the one who struggles the most with the journey, which makes him the most interesting to write.” “Mr. Wolf and Mr. Snake are two halves of me…. I think we all have it—your optimistic side and your pessimistic side.” “When kids saw the cover with the guys in the suits, with a shark and a wolf and this title, The Bad Guys, I think there's this sort of frisson of ‘that looks a little bit naughty.'” Of his teenage sons' view of him: “'It's just Dad in the garage. How hard can it be?'” Special Thanks: Producer: Bridget Benjamin Associate producer: Constance Gibbs Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl Coming Soon: Because of You, John Lewis: A conversation with author Andrea Davis Pinkney and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams

In this episode, award-winning author Alan Gratz discusses the 9/11 attacks and the complicated fallout in the United States and abroad after that fateful day. Alan's latest book, Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11, helps young readers understand what it was like to be in Lower Manhattan when two airplanes struck the Twin Towers, and how the attacks led to a 20-year war in Afghanistan. Ground Zero features nine-year-old Brandon, who finds himself in an elevator in the North Tower when an explosion jolts him and the other passengers sideways. His father is working at Windows on the World, a restaurant that occupies one of the top floors of the building. The novel also introduces readers to Reshmina, an 11-year-old Afghan girl who, in 2019, is living with her family in a remote, mountainous region of the country, where U.S. and Afghan National Army soldiers are battling the Taliban. “Afghans did not do this attack,” Reshmina says to a U.S. soldier when he recalls 9/11. “You are seeking revenge against the wrong people.” In Ground Zero, Alan deftly explores the parallels between Brandon and Reshmina's lives, and shows why we, as a country, need to ask tough questions about our actions, both past and present. Alan is the New York Times best-selling author of Refugee, Allies, and Code of Honor, among several other titles. Resources: Meet Alan Gratz (https://www.alangratz.com/): In his latest middle-grade novel, the best-selling author of 17 titles for young readers spotlights the September 11 attacks. Encountering History (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66DwJsDoDv8): In this webinar, Scholastic Magazines+ editors and a classroom teacher offer ways to address the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with upper-elementary students. Resources for Teaching 9/11 for Grades 3 - 12 (https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/teaching-blogs/2021-22/teaching-sept11-for-elementary.html?promo_code=4771&eml=CM/smd/20210901//txtl/LiveEvent/edall): Articles, videos, and lesson plans from the editors of Scholastic Magazines+ help teachers discuss the 9/11 attacks in the classroom. Anniversary in the Schools Webinar (https://www.911memorial.org/learn/students-and-teachers/anniversary-schools-webinar?magazineName=classroommagazines&promo_code=4771): Join students and teachers from around the world to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 by registering for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum's free Anniversary in the Schools program (https://911memorialmuseum.wufoo.com/forms/m1qwhfwj1ccj1bu/). “Empty Sky” (https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/empty-sky/): Read a 2011 essay recalling the 9/11 attacks in Lower Manhattan by Scholastic Reads host Suzanne McCabe. Special Thanks: Producer: Bridget Benjamin Associate producer: Constance Gibbs Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl Coming Soon: Honoring Hispanic Heritage A Conversation With Muted Author Tami Charles

For 12 years, World Read Aloud Day has challenged participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read aloud. The global effort is now celebrated in 173 countries and counting. For the past decade, Scholastic has been the title sponsor of World Read Aloud Day, which was created by LitWorld, a global non-profit that fosters a love of reading in children everywhere. In this episode, host Suzanne McCabe talks with literacy expert and author Pam Allyn, who is the founder of LitWorld. She'll share ideas for educators and families who would like to participate in this year's celebration, which takes place on February 3. Malcolm Mitchell will describe his own reading journey. “I was a 19-, 20-year-old college student whom the world praised for my ability to catch a pass,” he says. “But in the bookstore, I was buying The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Exclamation Mark, and The Giving Tree to help teach myself how to become more literate.” Malcolm is now the best-selling author of The Magician's Hat and My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World. His Share The Magic Foundation helps transform young lives through literacy. In his past life, Malcolm was a star wide receiver for the New England Patriots. He has a Super Bowl ring to prove it! Special Thanks: Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl Producer: Bridget Benjamin Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Coming Soon: Coretta Scott King Honor Author Varian Johnson Talks About Twins, His Graphic Novel

World Read Aloud Day is annual celebration that encourages kids, parents, and educators everywhere to grab a book, find an audience, and read aloud. On today's episode, we'll be talking with two literacy experts, Pam Allyn and Lester Laminack about the many benefits of reading aloud. Plus, you'll hear exciting read alouds from authors like, Dav Pilkey, Carmen Agra Deedy, and Peter Reynolds. Don't forget to read aloud on February 5! Special thanks: * Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl * Produced and edited by Bridget Benjamin * Associate Produced by Mackenzie Cutruzzula * Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan * *Suzanne McCabe is the Editor of Scholastic Kids Press

It takes guts to face your fears. Bestselling creator Raina Telgemeier is encouraging young readers to do just that with her latest graphic novel memoir, Guts, which shares the stories of Raina's own experiences with anxiety as a child. This week, Raina joins us in the studio to talk about Guts. We also talk with Dr. Eli Lebowitz, who studies and treats childhood and adolescent anxiety and is Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center. Additional resources: Learn more about Guts by Raina Telgemeier Follow Raina Telgemeier on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook Learn more about the Yale Child Study Center–Scholastic Collaborative for Child & Family Resilience See more data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report Guests: Raina Telgemeier is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning creator of Smile and Sisters, which are both graphic memoirs based on her childhood. She is also the creator of Drama and Ghosts, and is the adapter and illustrator of four Baby-sitters Club graphic novels. Raina lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more, visit her online at goRaina.com. Eli Lebowitz studies and treats childhood and adolescent anxiety and is Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center. His research focuses on the development, neurobiology, and treatment of anxiety and related disorders, with special emphasis on cross-generational and familial influences in these disorders. Dr. Lebowitz is the lead investigator on multiple funded research projects, and is the author of numerous research papers and of books and chapters on childhood and adolescent anxiety. He is also the father of three great boys. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow

Bestselling author Aaron Blabey stopped by our New York offices earlier this year while on his book tour The Bad Guys: Mission to America, and we're so excited to share our conversation with you. Aaron talks about his latest Bad Guys book, The Bad Guys in Superbad, the Bad Guys movie that's currently in development with DreamWorks, and shares some insight into his creative process. He also treats us to not one, but two amazing read-alouds! Additional resources: Learn more about The Bad Guys series Learn more about Aaron's latest picture book, I Need a Hug  Learn more about Thelma the Unicorn  Learn more about the Pig the Pug series Guests: Aaron Blabey has written many well-loved, bestselling books for children. He has around five million books in print and is the creator of three hugely successful series for children — the New York Times bestselling The Bad Guys, Pig the Pug, and Thelma the Unicorn.In 2018 it was announced that a movie adaptation of The Bad Guys is in development at DreamWorks Animation with Aaron serving as an Executive Producer on the project.Aaron's books have won many awards including nine REAL Awards, an INDIE Book Award for Children's Book of the Year, a Children's Book Council of Australia — Book of the Year Award, a NSW Premiers Literary Award for Children's Literature, two Australian Book Design Awards, and a Children's Peace Literature Award. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow 

We are a nation of immigrants. And they have stories to tell. Today, we invite you to listen to stories from authors and illustrators who are creating work that shares the immigrant experience and what it means to leave your home in search of a better life.  Featured authors: Kelly Yang, author of Front Desk Edwidge Danticat, author of Untwine  Alan Gratz, author of Refugee Sayantani DasGupta, author of The Serpent's Secret Rashin Kheiriyeh, author of Saffron Ice Cream Carmen Agra Deedy, author of The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! Additional resources: See the note from Kelly Yang's teacher about promoting her to second grade See a photo of the dress Carmen Agra Deedy wore when her family left Cuba Listen to Edwidge Danticat on the Scholastic Reads, podcast episode #18: "Edwidge Danticat: Beating the Darkness" Listen to Alan Gratz on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #42: "Telling the Stories of Refugees" Listen to Sayantani DasGupta on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #58: "Sayantani DasGupta and The Serpent's Secret" Listen to Carmen Agra Deedy on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #32: "The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet: Giving Children a Voice" Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow  

We are a nation of immigrants. And they have stories to tell. Today, we invite you to listen to stories from authors and illustrators who are creating work that shares the immigrant experience and what it means to leave your home in search of a better life.  Featured authors: Kelly Yang, author of Front Desk Edwidge Danticat, author of Untwine  Alan Gratz, author of Refugee Sayantani DasGupta, author of The Serpent's Secret Rashin Kheiriyeh, author of Saffron Ice Cream Carmen Agra Deedy, author of The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! Additional resources: See the note from Kelly Yang's teacher about promoting her to second grade See a photo of the dress Carmen Agra Deedy wore when her family left Cuba Listen to Edwidge Danticat on the Scholastic Reads, podcast episode #18: "Edwidge Danticat: Beating the Darkness" Listen to Alan Gratz on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #42: "Telling the Stories of Refugees" Listen to Sayantani DasGupta on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #58: "Sayantani DasGupta and The Serpent's Secret" Listen to Carmen Agra Deedy on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #32: "The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet: Giving Children a Voice" Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow  

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, who shares some of the unique ways that children experience and express trauma. We also talk with Julie Ballew, a fifth-grade teacher from Houston, Texas, who helped her students rebuild a sense of community after Hurricane Harvey devastated their city. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast on an iOS device here or an Android device here, and the latest episodes of Scholastic Reads will be automatically delivered to your device. Additional Resources: Read the full message from Richard Robinson, Scholastic Chairman and CEO, on the subject of school safety: http://bit.ly/2p0oCvf Get more resources from Scholastic on responding to violence and tragedy: http://bit.ly/2p0oCvf Read Julie Ballew's post about her "Rise Up" classroom project: http://bit.ly/2Flarfg Read more about the Child Mind Institute: http://bit.ly/2oTWlad See Julie Ballew's Top Teaching bog posts: http://bit.ly/2IcfJY9 Listen to "Rise Up" by Andra Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNKu1uNBVkU Guests: Dr. Jamie Howard is a clinical psychologist in the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute and the director of the Center's Trauma and Resilience Service. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety and mood disorders in children and adolescents, and has expertise in treating post-traumatic stress and adjustment disorders across the lifespan. Julie Ballew is a fifth grade language arts and social studies teacher in Houston, Texas. She is in her 12th year in education, including six years as a literacy coach.  Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

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, who shares some of the unique ways that children experience and express trauma. We also talk with Julie Ballew, a fifth-grade teacher from Houston, Texas, who helped her students rebuild a sense of community after Hurricane Harvey devastated their city. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast on an iOS device here or an Android device here, and the latest episodes of Scholastic Reads will be automatically delivered to your device. Additional Resources: Read the full message from Richard Robinson, Scholastic Chairman and CEO, on the subject of school safety Get more resources from Scholastic on responding to violence and tragedy Read Julie Ballew's post about her "Rise Up" classroom project Read more about the Child Mind Institute See Julie Ballew's Top Teaching bog posts Listen to "Rise Up" by Andra Day Guests: Dr. Jamie Howard is a clinical psychologist in the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute and the director of the Center’s Trauma and Resilience Service. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety and mood disorders in children and adolescents, and has expertise in treating post-traumatic stress and adjustment disorders across the lifespan. Julie Ballew is a fifth grade language arts and social studies teacher in Houston, Texas. She is in her 12th year in education, including six years as a literacy coach.  Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

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 immigrants, as well as her love of storytelling, folktales, science, and Madeleine L'Engle.  Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast on an iOS device here or an Android device here, and the latest episodes of Scholastic Reads will be automatically delivered to your device. Additional Resources: Learn more about The Serpent's Secret Learn more about Sayantani DasGupta Get more information about the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Guest: Sayantani DasGupta grew up hearing stories about brave princesses, bloodthirsty rakkhosh and flying pakkhiraj horses. She is a pediatrician by training, but now teaches at Columbia University. When she's not writing or reading, Sayantani spends time watching cooking shows with her trilingual children and protecting her black Labrador Retriever Khushi from the many things that scare him, including plastic bags. She is a team member of We Need Diverse Books, and can be found online at www.sayantanidasgupta.com and on Twitter at @sayantani16 Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

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 immigrants, as well as her love of storytelling, folktales, science, and Madeleine L'Engle.  Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast on an iOS device here or an Android device here, and the latest episodes of Scholastic Reads will be automatically delivered to your device. Additional Resources: Learn more about The Serpent's Secret Learn more about Sayantani DasGupta Get more information about the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Guest: Sayantani DasGupta grew up hearing stories about brave princesses, bloodthirsty rakkhosh and flying pakkhiraj horses. She is a pediatrician by training, but now teaches at Columbia University. When she's not writing or reading, Sayantani spends time watching cooking shows with her trilingual children and protecting her black Labrador Retriever Khushi from the many things that scare him, including plastic bags. She is a team member of We Need Diverse Books, and can be found online at www.sayantanidasgupta.com and on Twitter at @sayantani16 Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

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 You and Suzanne gets a little hosting help from Scholastic News Kid Reporter Titus Smith, III.  Later on, we sit down with Kelly Greenawalt and Amariah Rauscher, the creators of the indomitable, inventive, and adorable Princess Truly. Kelly tells us that she started writing the Princess Truly picture books for her own daughter who was once told by a classmate that her curls weren't "magical princess hair."  Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast on an iOS device here or an Android device here, and the latest episodes of Scholastic Reads will be automatically delivered to your device. Additional Resources: Learn more about Marley Dias Gets it Done: And So Can You  Learn more about Marley Dias and her campaign #1000BlackGirlBooks Learn more about Princess Truly Guests: Marley Dias made headlines as a sixth grader when she started the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign to collect children's books featuring black protagonists. Her initiative led to appearances on The Nightly Show, Today, CBS This Morning, and many more. Marley has been featured in the New York Times, has been recognized as a "21 under 21" ambassador for Teen Vogue, is an editor in residence for Elle.com, and launched a national literacy tour in partnership with the White House. Marley lives in New Jersey with her parents. Kelly Greenawalt is a children's book author, wife, and mother of five living just outside Houston, Texas. Princess Truly was inspired by her daughters, Calista and Kaia, who are smart and spunky, and who have magical curls of their own. Amariah Rauscher is an artist and illustrator specializing in watercolor illustration. She lives with her husband and children in Illinois. Special thanks: Hosts: Suzanne McCabe and Titus Smith III Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow  

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 love of history, his childhood in Flint, MI, and why humor is a crucial element of his heart-wrenching books. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast on an iOS device here or an Android device here, and the latest episodes of Scholastic Reads will be automatically delivered to your device. Additional resources:  Read more about The Journey of Little Charlie  Watch Christopher Paul Curtis talk about The Journey of Little Charlie Read a review of The Journey of Little Charlie Discover more works by Christopher Paul Curtis Guests:  Christopher Paul Curtis was awarded both a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his debut book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, and won the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for his second book, Bud, Not Buddy. Mr. Curtis is also the author of the Golden Kite Award-winning Bucking the Sarge, as well as The Mighty Miss Malone, and two previous books in The Buxton Chronicles: The Madman of Piney Woods, and the Newbery Honor book Elijah of Buxton. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow    

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 love of history, his childhood in Flint, MI, and why humor is a crucial element of his heart-wrenching books. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast on an iOS device here or an Android device here, and the latest episodes of Scholastic Reads will be automatically delivered to your device. Additional resources:  Read more about The Journey of Little Charlie  Watch Christopher Paul Curtis talk about The Journey of Little Charlie Read a review of The Journey of Little Charlie Discover more works by Christopher Paul Curtis Guests:  Christopher Paul Curtis was awarded both a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his debut book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, and won the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for his second book, Bud, Not Buddy. Mr. Curtis is also the author of the Golden Kite Award-winning Bucking the Sarge, as well as The Mighty Miss Malone, and two previous books in The Buxton Chronicles: The Madman of Piney Woods, and the Newbery Honor book Elijah of Buxton. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow    

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" Arthur A. Levine: Episode #16, "We Have Diverse Books" David Levithan: Episode #17, "Drag Teen with Jeffery Self" Cheryl Klein: Episode #1, "The Magic of Harry Potter" Pam Muñoz Ryan: Episode #27, "Pam Muñoz Ryan: Getting Readers to Turn the Page" Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

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" Arthur A. Levine: Episode #16, "We Have Diverse Books" David Levithan: Episode #17, "Drag Teen with Jeffery Self" Cheryl Klein: Episode #1, "The Magic of Harry Potter" Pam Muñoz Ryan: Episode #27, "Pam Muñoz Ryan: Getting Readers to Turn the Page" Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

Intro Hi and Welcome to Books Between - a podcast to help teachers, parents, or librarians connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - an elementary school teacher, a mom of two daughters, and excited to be back at school! Last Tuesday, I welcomed a brand new batch of 18 5th graders and we have had a great week reading picture books like School’s First Day of School and Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, setting up our fresh new reading journals, and taking time to get to know each other. It’s going to be a fantastic year! This is Episode #6 and today we’re discussing the Global Read Aloud project, the two read aloud novels featured at the middle grade level, and I’ll answer a question about the origins of the podcast. Main Topic - The Global Read Aloud Project As September has rolled around, and teachers, librarians, and homeschool families are making plans for the year, I thought now would be a good time to discuss The Global Read Aloud Project - also referred to as GRA. If you’ve been hearing about the Global Read Aloud Project and want to know more, then this is the perfect podcast for you. I first heard about the GRA last summer on Twitter and was immediately intrigued, but at the time,  I was already piloting a new reading program so didn’t want to take on another new thing. But this year, I am ready to go and really excited to be participating for my first time. The questions we’ll answer for you today are: What is the Global Read Aloud project?, What are the books?, Why should I participate?, and finally How can I jump in and get involved? What IS Global Read Aloud? First of all - what IS the Global Read Aloud Project? The GRA was started by educator Pernille Ripp in 2010 as a way to connect the world around one fantastic book. In 2010 that book was The Little Prince and after that, it expanded to include more than one book to target different reading levels, so more children can participate.  It really was a bottom up, grassroots project that has expanded every year. This year there are more than 600,000 students signed up already. The Global Read Aloud runs each fall from early October to the beginning of November and teachers, librarians, and parents participate by reading that year’s featured book out loud to their kids over a six week period. This year the GRA kicks off on October 3rd, but you can definitely jump in after that date. The suggested reading schedule is posted on the Global Read Aloud website, which I will link to in the show notes.  During that time frame from about early October to early November, your class connects with at least one other group of children, and hopefully more depending on how in-depth you want to go. That connection might involve a Skype session, doing a joint project in a Google Classroom, asking and answering some thought-provoking questions in a shared Edmodo group, or maybe connecting on Twitter. What are the 2016 books for GRA? As I mentioned before, the GRA has expanded beyond just one book to feature several across various age ranges so you can find a good fit for your child or your class.  I will be participating as both a parent with my 7 and 9 year old and as a teacher with my 5th graders. The youngest grades do an author study and read six picture books over the course of the project. This year’s featured author/illustrator is Lauren Castillo -you might know her books like Nana in the City, The Troublemaker, and a recent favorite in my house - Twenty Yawns. I defy you to read it aloud without yawning joyfully all through that book! My girls and I will probably end up reading those as well. The next GRA book option recommended for ages 7 and up is Roald Dahl’s BFG. I think that’s a great fit with the Spielberg movie released last summer and a huge perennial favorite among adults and kids. The next read aloud choice recommended for ages 9 and up is Pax by Sara Pennypacker with illustrations by Jon Klassen. Either the BFG or Pax would be perfect for middle grade readers, and I’ll be talking much more about them in our Book Talk segment in a few minutes. If you are looking for something for readers ages 12 and up, then this year’s book is Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt. And the Young Adult book this year for about ages 15 and above is All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely. I have not yet read either of those books but so many of my friends keep talking about them - they are bound to be excellent. Why should you participate? Really the answer is two-fold. It’s great for children AND it’s great for you, too! Participating in the Global Read Aloud is an excellent way to have students connecting and collaborating with other kids and classrooms across the nation (and maybe world!) through social media and other online tools. And old-fashioned pen and paper, too if you want!  We are a global society and the GRA is a perfect way to build those 21st Century skills we all know are crucial for kids’ success. Aside from benefits for students, there are also lots of benefits for teachers. All the teachers that I’ve spoken with who have done the GRA in the past have loved the connections they make with other educators. It really builds your professional network and also pushes you a bit to try to expand your digital literacy in a new directions. So maybe that’s Twitter, Skype, or Padlet. But whatever direction you decide to go in to make your connections, I know you won’t regret participating. How can you participate? So now that I have got you excited and hopefully sold on trying out the Global Read Aloud project this year, how do you join? The first thing to do is grab a copy of whichever book you decide to read and then go to the GRA main website - www.theglobalreadaloud.com - and sign up right on that main page. It’s really easy to find, and - by the way, totally free. From there, you can find the Google Group and Facebook Group. Also - one of the best places to make connections with other teachers and classrooms are the Edmodo groups designated for each book. There is also an online shop where you can buy this year’s Global Read Aloud merchandise - and all kinds of other reading themed t-shirts and accessories. If you listened to Episode #3, you already know that I went a little crazy there and bought 3 shirts from the shop already. GRA is also on Pinterest (of course!) and you can connect on Twitter using this year’s hashtag #GRA16.  Each of the individual books also have their own hashtag for easier sorting - the middle grade novels are #GRABFG and #GRAPAX for Pax.  There is lots and lots of other great information on the website - and I’ll link to everything I’ve mentioned right in the show notes. I am really psyched to be joining the Global Read Aloud movement this year and I’m looking forward to seeing all the exciting connections and cool projects that you all are doing as well. Book Talk - Two Middle Grade GRA Choices In this part of the show, I share with you a few books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week, I’ll be talking about the two middle grade Global Read Aloud options: The BFG by Roald Dahl and Pax by Sara Pennypacker. BFG Roald Dahl’s 1982 novel The BFG is about a Big Friendly Giant (that’s what the BFG stands for) who roams the streets of London with his magical trumpet which he uses to blow dreams into children’s ears. One night a young orphan, Sophie, sees him outside her window. So the BFG snatches her up and carries her off to Giantland. There Sophie realizes that there are nine other giants who are WAY bigger than the BFG and not so friendly. They set off each night to the far corners of the earth to gobble up children. Eventually, Sophie and the BFG come up with a plan to try to stop these man-eating giants. A plan which, by the way, involves the Queen of England. In true Roald Dahl fashion, it’s funny but also pretty dark gruesome actually. So here are three things that I find very intriguing about the BFG. The Language. The BFG speaks in this funny mishmash of semi-English, using words like “filthsome” to describe something yucky, “kiddles” for children, or “human beans” to mean human beings. Really good dreams are called “phizzwizards” and nightmares are “trogglehumpers” - it’s just fun and playful.   And of course, my daughters now enjoy using the term “whizzpopping” which means - farting. The potential for some deep conversations. For example, it turns out that Sophie is not the first child that the BFG has essentially abducted. There was a little boy who lived with the BFG for awhile and was eventually discovered by the other giants and eaten. I found that to be deeply disturbing and it raises big moral questions. Should he have taken her? As does the idea that the giants are totally and completely evil for eating people. I mean - are lions evil for eating a gazelle? Are humans evil for eating bacon? There are those ethical questions that this book can raise about our choices in what we eat. The Movie - This past July, Disney and Steven Spielberg teamed up to create The BFG film. It was a beautiful and well crafted movie that does downplay the darkest elements of the book while generally staying pretty true to the main plot points. Also - if you are Downton Abbey fan, Penelope Wilton (who plays Mrs. Crawley) does a phenomenal job as Queen Elizabeth II.  It’s worth watching just for that!  And I think the DVD will be released by this November, so the timing should work out to watch the film after you read the novel. Pax The second middle grade option for the Global Read Aloud is Sara Pennypacker’s Pax. The novel starts off with a heart-wrenching scene of a boy, Peter, intentionally abandoning his pet fox by the side of the road. Eventually, you come to realize that Peter can’t keep the fox, named Pax, because his father has enlisted in the army and so Peter has to go live with his grandfather. The chapters alternate between Peter’s point of view and the perspective of the fox as he tries to survive in the wild and desperately hopes his boy returns for him. And after a guilt-ridden couple of days, Peter does run away to try to find him. Here are three things I really found so fascinating about Pax: The novel is set in an undefined place and time, and I found that aspect of the book to be really interesting. It could be the United States or maybe Canada and there are clues along the way that help you narrow it down a bit. For example, there are modern-ish vehicles and they mention the kids playing baseball. But you’re never really sure, and I think that dimension of this book could lead to some deep conversation and debate with kids. How this novel explores the concept of being inseparable. When Peter first arrives at his grandfather’s house, he discovers an old picture of his dad as a kid with a pet dog. The grandfather describes them as “inseparable” and that idea of being inseparable gnaws at Peter and he almost becomes obsessed with the idea. I just love how the book explores that idea from all different angles - the father who left to fight in a war, his own mother who died just recently, and now leaving his tame and vulnerable fox on the side of the road. It really asks us to think about whether or not being inseparable is the highest form of bonding and love. The perfect symmetry of the ending. And - I don’t want to spoil it at all by revealing what happens, but oh my gosh - it is powerful and not at all what I expected to happen. Pax is so much more than I’ve just described - I haven’t even mentioned the characters Vola or Gray or all the issues that come as Peter and Pax try to make their way through this worn-torn country to find each other. Pax is so good. It’s about war, and loyalty, and loss. I’m excited and intrigued to see what this novel brings out in my students this fall. I hope you decide to sign up for the Global Read Aloud this year with your students or read aloud with your kids. I’ll be doing both - reading Pax to my 5th graders at school and my 9 and 7 year old at home.  But even if you don’t do the GRA, these are both excellent books to put in the hands of a middle grade reader. Q & A Our last segment of the show is Question & Answer time. Question: Now that the Books Between Podcast has been out for awhile and more people are listening (thank you!), I’ve had some people ask “What made you decide to start a podcast?” Answer: Two things really came together to push me to into launching a podcast about middle grade readers and middle grade books. First, I simply LOVE listening to podcasts. I have a 30 minute commute to work each day and podcasts like Stuff You Should Know, RadioLab, and Serial make my drive bearable. If I’m doing the dishes or cleaning, I pretty much always have an earbud stuck in my ear. And last year I started to listen to more kidlit focused podcasts like Let’s Get Busy (which is now All the Wonders), The Yarn, Scholastic Reads, and KidLit Drink Night. So I knew how much a podcast could have an impact and really give value to someone.  But there wasn’t a podcast that solely focused on middle grade books and readers. Second, I started to become more open and interactive about my reading life both online and in person. And take my role as a reading advocate more seriously. So, on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, I’d share what I was reading with my students and my daughters. And I’d ask for others suggestions, too. Essentially, wherever I went, I was talking to people about books kids would like and how to get them reading.  And I noticed that I was having similar conversations over and over again. For example, last June I had a parent stop me in the hallway at school to ask for summer book recommendations and then a few days later, my friend Ilona messaged on Facebook with the same question. Last spring I was swapping ideas with a librarian in our district about March Book Madness and some creative ways she had to get students recommending books to each other, and then I’d have the same conversation on Instagram when I posted photos of our book brackets. And I kept thinking, “Oh, I wish you had been there when we were just talking about this!”  I really wanted a way to share the essence of those conversations with more people. So that - combined with the thought that there seemed to be a space in that middle grade podcast niche - pushed me to start this Books Between Podcast last summer - a podcast focused on readers between 8 and 12.  I decided to teach myself the basics of GarageBand and get over the fact that I hate the sound of my own voice, and push myself to do something new and little uncomfortable. I am truly humbled by how many people have reached out to say they’ve enjoyed the episodes so far and are finding value in the podcast. So stay tuned because I have lots more interesting topics planned for upcoming weeks, fantastic new books to talk about, and an exciting announcement which I can’t wait to share with you. Closing Alright - that wraps up our Q&A section this week. If you have a question about how to connect children between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover on a future episode, please email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find a full transcript of this show, and all the other episodes, at our website - BooksBetween.com  with links to every book and resource I mentioned today. And, if you have gotten some value out of this show, I’d really appreciate a quick review or rating on iTunes or Stitcher so others can find us as well. Thank you again and see you in two weeks!  Bye!

Morgan cheats on Barry. Taking stock of what we’ve read this year. Morgan’s memory is terrible. Barry resists going all Campbell on Star Wars. Wisdom from Sylvia Plath. Plus: Great first lines! Links: Morgan guests on the Scholastic Reads podcast: "Kids’ Books Holiday Hotline" morganbaden.com: "My year in books: 2015" Memento (2000) - IMDb Exo by Steven Gould | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound Jumper by Steven Gould | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound A Force Awakens Review By a Star Wars Rookie | WIRED How The "Star Wars" Lightsaber Was Designed The Hero with a Thousand Faces Sylvia Plath — The Bell Jar Fitzgerald Might Disagree With His 'No Second Acts' Line : NPR Friday Night Lights TV Show - NBC.com "Black & Blue" | The Players' Tribune Boy Toy by Barry Lyga | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound 'Sports Night': An oral history, starring Aaron Sorkin and his cast | EW.com Hockey “goons” "wiggle worms and zipzorps" -- The One Where Chandler Gets Caught - Friends Central ... The Gunslinger by Stephen King | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound