Scholastic Media Room

What can parents do to keep kids learning at home if they are out sick, or if their school is closed due to H1N1?

Try virtual learning.

In preparation for a Swine Flu epidemic this year, the U.S. Department of Education asked high tech companies like Scholastic if they could provide tools and resources to make learning possible for kids if their school closed, or if they caught the bug.

Scholastic created Stay Smart! (www.scholastic.com/staysmart), which includes twenty days of reading, writing and math instruction to keep kids reading and learning and free access to high end digital programs that are normally only available through schools and libraries, such as BookFlix® (pre-K to 3), a rich digital curriculum across content areas, Expert Space (grades 4-8), and downloadable reading intervention materials from READ 180® (grades 4-12) for those kids who REALLY can't afford to fall further behind and additional downloadable worksheets for pre-K to 8. It’s all FREE and the digital programs are very visual for TV.

Scholastic does not censor books. We review thousands of titles each year for our book clubs and book fairs, and we are committed to a review process that considers all books equally regardless of their inclusion of LGBT characters and same sex parents. In an interview with School Library Journal, Scholastic stated that we are currently carrying Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle in our school book clubs. We also said we were still reviewing the book for possible inclusion in our book fairs. Having completed our review of Luv Ya Bunches, Scholastic Book Fairs will carry the title in our spring fairs for middle school.

Scholastic is proud of our long history of providing books that will appeal to the wide range of interests and reading abilities of children in the many diverse cultures and communities we serve. Luv Ya Bunches is just one example.

Congratulations to Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor (Arthur A. Levine Books) for its National Book Award nomination in the Young People’s Literature category!

Lips Touch is comprised of three novellas, each illustrated by Jim Di Bartolo, and was called a “triptych of beautiful fantasy writing reminiscent of Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman” in a starred review from Booklist. In another starred review, Publishers Weekly noted "even nonfantasy lovers will find themselves absorbed by Taylor's masterful, elegant work."

The National Book Award winners will be announced on November 18. Press can request a copy of the book or an interview with Taylor by contacting Sheila Marie Everett. Find out more information here.

Scholastic was recently named one of PINK magazine's Top Companies for Women 2009. In its issue on newsstands now, Scholastic is one of 15 companies honored for leading the way in recognizing the importance of women's advancement in the workplace.

Scholastic is the only publishing or education company on the list, and is cited for, among other things, its "longtime commitment to diversity that has resulted in parity for women among middle management."

Please visit Pink's website to learn more.

Twenty-eight Reading Ambassadors have hosted events in their states. Some of the events include:

The Scholastic Summer Challenge is still going strong, thanks in part to the 2009 Reading Ambassadors—38 Governors’ Spouses and one Governor who joined Scholastic in encouraging kids to read 4 or more books this summer.

• First Lady of Louisiana Supriya Jindal hosted seven events at schools and summer camps across the state—leading science experiments, discussing the importance of math and science in everyday life, and encouraging kids to keep reading this summer.

• First Lady of Kansas Stacy Parkinson hosted a reading event at Mueller Elementary School, a magnet school for aerospace and engineering, in Wichita. In recognition of the 40 year anniversary of the first moon landing, she read a passage from Neil Armstrong’s 1969 press conference.

• In Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn spoke to students during the graduation ceremony at Crispus Attucks Academy in Chicago.

In support of the Reading Ambassadors' involvement, Scholastic donated 500 books to 4th and 5th graders in each of the participating states. That’s a grand total of 19,500 books that kids will be taking home to read this summer!

For more information on the 2009 Reading Ambassadors and event photos, please visit our Reading Ambassadors Online Press Kit.

Summer reading has really paid off for 66 lucky kids who won a combined $8,150 in The 39 Clues global adventure. To date, more than 560,000 kids have registered at www.the39clues.com to digitize cards, play games and earn points.

This round’s top winner was 10 year old Kyla from Atlanta, who won $1,000 as the first prize winner of the Book #3 Episode Contest: “I love when I get missions. They are so fun to complete and you get a clue at the end!” she said.

But there's much more to The 39 Clues than the books, cards, and game. With a plot that's steeped in history and geography, The 39 Clues is also a powerful educational resource. Check out how one teacher is using the series as a classroom tool (and winning awards for his work): click here to watch.

The fifth book in the series, The 39 Clues: The Black Circle, was released on August 11, 2009.

• 60 years as a trusted resource and partner to schools everywhere

• 6 billion books distributed to kids across the country

• More than 1 million teachers participate in Scholastic Book Clubs annually

• 9 million books donated to charity since 2001 through ClassroomsCare

• More than 27 million children read for kids in need through ClassroomsCare

• More than 117 million books read because of ClassroomsCare

• Millions of children become avid readers and learners

Summer vacation hasn’t even started yet for thousands of students in the U.S., but already the excitement for summer reading is hitting a fever pitch.

More than 39,000 kids have signed up to read in the Scholastic Summer Challenge since the Web site launched a month ago. To date, kids have read and logged more than 22 million minutes for their respective teams, and more than 3,700 schools have signed up for Scholastic Book Fairs’ Read for The World Record Challenge. Created to help stem the "summer slide" (the learning loss that can occur during the summer months), the Scholastic Summer Challenge lets students join teams, log minutes, play games to earn more points and enter sweepstakes – all to help motivate them to read “four or more” books this summer.

New digital and Web 2.0 tools are making it easier for teachers and parents to connect and share advice and stories about the books that are inspiring their kids.

In just a few weeks, thousands have joined a Facebook group called I <3 Scholastic Book Clubs where they’re posting their memories of books they read when they were kids, and messages about what their children and students are excited about today.

It’s fitting that they would connect around Scholastic Book Clubs – an institution that was a part of the school and learning experience of today’s parents, and continues to help kids develop a love of books and reading today.

“I loved Scholastic as a child and as a mom,” one teacher wrote. “Now I love Scholastic as a teacher. The books are awesome!”

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