Scholastic Reads

This week, we're talking myths, magic and metaphors with bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater, whose newest novel, All the Crooked Saints, will be in stores on October 10. Maggie is joined in the studio by her editor, David Levithan, as well as some extra special guests: her dad and her brother! Later in the episode, we'll also talk with Booklist editor Daniel Kraus about Booklist's 50 Best YA Books of All Time list, which just so happens to include Maggie's New York Times bestselling series The Raven Cycle. Additional Resources: Learn more about All the Crooked Saints Read an excerpt from All the Crooked Saints See Booklist's 50 Best YA Books of All Time Guests: Entertainment Weekly has called Maggie Stiefvater, “one of the finest YA novelists writing today.” Maggie Stiefvater is a writer, artist, and musician and a New York Times bestselling author. Her work includes the Shiver series, The Raven Cycle series, The Scorpio Races, and many more books for young readers. Stiefvater lives in Virginia with her family. You can visit her online at www.maggiestiefvater.com and follow her on Twitter @mstiefvater. Daniel Kraus is Booklist's Editor of Books for Youth. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielDKraus. 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 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:  Learn more about Shadowshaper and Shadowhouse Fall Learn more about Daniel José Older Find Daniel José Older on Twitter 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  

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  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This week, we're talking with Emma Donoghue (author of the award-winning novel for adults Room), about her new book for children, The Lotterys Plus One. She's joined by her editor, Arthur A. Levine, to talk about the process of transitioning from writing for adults to writing for children; where the inspiration for Sumac Lottery and her big, unruly family came from; and the role Emma's own chlidren play in her creative process. Additional Resources: More information about The Lotterys Plus One Watch the book trailer for The Lotterys Plus One Read an excerpt of The Lotterys Plus One Learn more about Emma Donoghue Learn more about Arthur A. Levine books Guests: Emma Donoghue is the author of the international bestseller and Man Booker Prize finalist Room, as well as several other novels, including the YA collection Kissing the Witch (1997), which was shortlisted for the Tiptree Award. Her most recent book The Wonder was published in September 2016. Born in Ireland, she now lives in Canada with her partner and their two children. Arthur A. Levine is Vice President and Publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. Throughout his career, Levine has edited and championed an exceptional and diverse group of writers and artists, including Emma Donoghue, J.K. Rowling, Lisa Yee, Jaclyn Moriarty, Shaun Tan, Sundee Frazier, and Dan Santat. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan Produced by Emily Morrow

"A poem begins with a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, or a love sickness." — Robert Frost This week, we're celebrating Poetry Month by talking about the power and joy of poetry. First, we hear from renowned novelist, essayist, and poet Calvin Trillin, who shares some of the inspiration behind his new poetry collection for children, No Fair! No Fair!. We also talk with two high school students, Maya Eashwaran and Gopal Raman, who were honored as National Student Poets in 2016, as well as an educator, Adam Couturier, who speaks about the wonderful poetry program in his Massachusetts school district. Additional resources: More information about No Fair! No Fair! by Calvin Trillin and illustrated by Roz Chast Learn more about the National Student Poets Program Meet the other 2016 National Student Poets, and hear more from Maya Eashwaran and Gopal Raman Read a blog post from Adam Couturier about his district's We Read Big initiative Guests: Calvin Trillin is a journalist, humorist, poet, novelist, memoirist, and food writer. A long-time staff writer at The New Yorker, he is also The Nation’s “deadline poet.” He has published thirty books, many of them bestsellers. His books include Remembering Denny, About Alice, Tepper Isn't Going Out, and Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse. In 2012, he won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He lives in New York. Maya Eashwaran is a senior at Milton High School in Milton, Georgia, and a 2016 National Student Poet. In addition to writing poetry, she is also an avid musician. Gopal Raman is a senior at St. Mark’s School in Dallas, Texas, and a 2016 National Student Poet. In addition to writing poetry, he edits for his high school newspaper and chairs the St. Mark’s Literary Festival. Adam Couturier is the  6-12 Humanities Curriculum Coordinator for Southbridge Public Schools in Southbridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Couturier was a 2016 Pioneer Valley Teacher of Excellence award winner as a result of his work in Springfield, MA. He served as a teacher, Social Studies Department Chair, and as a Middle Years Programme Coordinator at an International Baccalaureate school. In addition to this, he wrote curriculum for the National Parks Service at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Springfield Public Schools, and now at Southbridge Middle and High Schools. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan Produced by Emily Morrow

Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst are trying to change how we read. In their new book, Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters, the award-winning authors and literacy educators explore a new approach where reading is viewed as a transformational experience rather than a practice of decoding, recalling, and responding to questions. As Bob says, "We're looking for the replacement of artificial and formulaic reading with REAL reading." This week, Kylene and Bob join us in the studio to talk about how teachers can start implementing changes in their classrooms today, ways parents can be reading role models for their children at home, and why it's more important that kids recognize how a text makes them feel than remember the main character's name. Additional Resources: More information about Disrupting Thinking  Connect with Kylene on Twitter Connect with Bob on Twitter Guests: Kylene Beers, EdD, is an internationally known and respected authority in literacy education. She is a past president of the National Council of Teachers of English and has received an NCTE Leadership Award. She has served as a consultant to the National Governor’s Association Education Committee, was the editor of the national literacy journal Voices from the Middle, taught in the College of Education at the University of Houston, held a reading research position in the Comer School Development Program at Yale University School of Medicine, and has most recently served as the Senior Reading Advisor to the Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia University. Robert E. Probst, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of English Education at Georgia State University and was a research fellow for Florida International University. He has served as a member on the Conference on English Board of Directors, an NCTE journal columnist, and a member of the NCTE Commission on Reading. He was awarded the NCTE Exemplary Leadership Award presented by the Conference on English Leadership. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

  What do you do with a story that's too big to be contained in a book series? This week, we're talking about Horizon, a new multiplatform adventure for 9- to 12-year olds. Joining us in the studio are New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Leviathan, Afterworlds), game designer Gavin Brown, and editor Nick Eliopulos to talk about the unique approach Scholastic's multiplatform team takes to storytelling. As Nick says, "The books that we love become these spaces that we want to play in."    Additional Resources: Read an excerpt from Horizon by Scott Westerfeld Download the Horizon app on your iOS or Android device Play the Horizon game on your desktop Join in the discussion on the Horizon forums "Underwater Dreams" — the documentary about high school students who compete in a college-level robotics competition "Taking Flight: NASA Prepares to Welcome New Class of Astronauts" Guests: Scott Westerfeld is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Uglies series, which has been translated into 35 languages; the Leviathan series; Afterworlds; and many other books for young readers. He was born in Texas, and alternates summers between Sydney, Australia and New York City. Nick Eliopulos is an editor at Scholastic. Gavin Brown is a digital product director at Scholastic. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow