NEW YORK, NY — Aug. 27, 2008 — Each fall, millions of kids nationwide read their hearts out. Through the Scholastic Book Clubs’ ClassroomsCare program, participating classrooms are asked to read 100 books, and, in turn, Scholastic Book Clubs donates up to 1 million new books to kids in need. And this year, the program has gone to a whole new level.

For the first time, classrooms can choose where they would like Scholastic Book Clubs to donate books from a long list of charities on the ClassroomsCare Web site. The charities are affiliated with national literacy partners, including: First Book®, Reach Out and Read®, Save the Children®, Hello Friend, Pajama Program and One Heartland. Books will also be sent to schools and children on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, which covers the two poorest counties in the U.S.

"We’re so excited about the changes we’ve made toClassroomsCare for the 2008-2009 school year," said Judy Newman, President of Scholastic Book Clubs. "By giving teachers the ability to choose where books will be donated, we can touch so many children in so many horrific situations. Kids who have been abused and neglected, those who live in desperate poverty, and those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS and are fighting terminal illnesses. Unfortunately, the list is long. But what a rewarding experience for the children who participate to know that they are helping to get books into the hands of the kids that need them most."

Another enhancement to the ClassroomsCare program is that it will now include downloadable, free lesson plans and activities to help teachers craft a character education curriculum aimed at empowering children to make a difference in their communities while teaching them the value of reading. These include:

• Read-alouds for younger students designed to teach "how the small can be mighty."
• Suggestions for students on reaching out to local charities to make a difference in their communities.
• Free lesson plans designed to encourage students to write and reflect on what they’ve learned from their ClassroomsCare experience.

For 60 years, Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, have provided monthly catalogs offering top quality books and reading materials from all publishers to teachers in preschool through junior high. Scholastic Book Clubs reach over one million teachers each month, providing the most sought-after titles at affordable prices for children in classrooms nationwide. The award-winning ClassroomsCare campaign is available to teachers and classrooms through five of the Scholastic Book Clubs: Firefly®: Book Club for preschoolers; SeeSaw®: Book Club for kindergarten and grade 1; Lucky®: Book Club for grades 2-3; Arrow®: Book Club for grades 4-6; and TAB®: Book Club for grades 7 and up. Since 2001, Scholastic Book Clubs has donated more than 8 million books through its ClassroomsCare program.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology and children’s media. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, television networks and the Company’s Internet Site, www.scholastic.com.

Contact: Scholastic Inc. Tyler Reed 212-343-6427 treed@scholastic.com