Summary: <p>As video games continue to captivate kids around the world, Scholastic AFK—or "Away From Keyboard"<em>—</em>books aim to harness that gaming passion, and convert it into a literacy tool.</p> <p>To learn more about this initiative, we sat down with Michael Petranek, an executive editor at Scholastic, and Matthew J. Kirby, the author of the Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants series.</p> <p>They tell us about what <em>they </em>love about gaming as well as some of the many benefits these books provide to growing readers: they encourage time <em>away </em>from screens, while also supporting reading and literacy by keeping fans engaged in the worlds they love.</p> <p><strong>Additional</strong> <strong>resources</strong>:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://oomscholasticblog.com/post/meet-afk-scholastic-taking-gaming-offline" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Learn more about AFK</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.scholastic.com/kids/books/afk/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">See all of our AFK books</a></li> <li><a href="http://matthewjkirby.com/kirbside/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Learn more about Matthew J. Kirby</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/arts/assassins-creed-origins-education.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read more about the study around Assassin's Creed Discover Mode</a></li> </ul><p><strong>Guests:</strong></p> <ul> <li> <strong>Michael Petranek </strong>is an executive editor at Scholastic</li> <li> <strong>Matthew J. Kirby </strong>is the author of Last Descendants: An Assassin's Creed Novel Series</li> </ul><p><strong>Special thanks:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl</li> <li>Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan</li> <li>Produced by Emily Morrow</li> </ul>
