NEW YORK — January 30, 2009 — Scholastic Media is taking The 39 Clues to the next level with new licensing and promotional partners. Set to hit shelves in conjunction with the publication of the third book, The Sword Thief on March 3, 2009, Scholastic Media has joined with University Games to produce an innovative and extensive line of board and card games as well as puzzles. The line will build upon the mystery and intrigue created in the series to engage players of all ages and will include exclusive clue cards that drive consumers to The 39 Clues website at www.39clues.com.

Summer 2009 will also see a flurry of 39 Clues activity with a complete line of calendars from new partner, Mead, as well as journals and stationary from Trends International. Scholastic Media will also leverage the adventure theme of the property this summer in a major promotional partnership to be announced at a later date.

"The momentum and energy surrounding The 39 Clues is astounding. In only a few short months since the first book’s release, readers and gamers have responded with enthusiasm," said Leslye Schaefer, SVP of Consumer Products and Marketing for Scholastic Media. "We're delighted to align with fantastic consumer products partners to enhance and build upon The 39 Clues brand experience."

Scholastic launched the The 39 Clues - the multiplatform series that leads fans around the world on a hunt for The 39 Clues (www.the39clues.com) in fall 2008. Children everywhere were invited to enter The 39 Clues™ with the publication of The Maze of Bones and One False Note - both of which debuted on the The New York Times bestseller lists. Eight more adrenaline-charged books and three card packs are on the way over the next two years.

Rick Riordan, author of the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson series, authored the spellbinding first book,The Maze of Bones, and also outlined the program’s 10 book story arc. Riordan is followed by a team of best-selling and acclaimed authors. The second book, One False Note, by Gordon Korman was released in December 2008 with several exciting new online components to enrich The 39 Clues multi-media experience including a new training area and free offline tabletop card game that kids can download and use with their 39 Clues collectible cards. The third, fourth, and fifth books, will be published in 2009, and will be written by Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, and Patrick Carman, respectively. Additional authors and publication dates for subsequent titles will be announced at a later date. Scholastic Audio is publishing in conjunction with each book release.

The 39 Clues centers around the Cahills—the most powerful family the world has ever known. The source of their power is a mystery that can only be unraveled by assembling 39 clues hidden around the world throughout history. This groundbreaking multi-media series for ages 8-12, also spans an online game that allows readers to play a part in the story and compete for prizes by reading the books, playing online and using hundreds of collectible cards—each marked with a unique code. Six cards are included with each book and audiobook, and randomly assorted card packs of sixteen will be available for purchase separately. Kids can register their cards online and manage their card collections through The 39 Clues website, while trying to collect them all. The 39 Clues website, www.the39clues.com, allows kids to participate in the adventure by tracking their points and their clues, managing their card collections, digging through the Cahill archives for secrets, and “traveling” the world to collect Cahill artifacts, interview characters, and hunt down the clues. Kids who find clues and earn points have a chance to win great prizes—and those who solve all 39 Clues will have a chance to compete for the grand prize.

Scholastic will be giving away more than $100,000 in prizes in a variety of ways throughout the duration of the series. For complete details and Official Rules go to www.the39clues.com.

Movie rights for The 39 Clues have been picked up by DreamWorks Studios. Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media, will produce. Steven Spielberg is eyeing to direct. Jeff Nathanson ("Catch Me If You Can", "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") is writing the screenplay.

Contact:

Brian Reinert / Ashley Gillen
BENDER/HELPER IMPACT
brian_reinert@bhimpact.com / ashley_gillen@bhimpact.com
212.689.6360

About Scholastic Media
Scholastic Media, the entertainment and media division of Scholastic, is a leading producer of quality, family-oriented content across multiple platforms, including feature films, television programming, videos, interactive and audio products, and web sites, and is a major developer and marketer of children's brands worldwide.

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.

About University Games
University Games is a privately held company founded on April Fool's Day in 1985 by Bob Moog and Cris Lehman. Headquartered in San Francisco, University Games distributes more products in more outlets, in more markets, than any other game company. The company now has four offices around the globe and five product divisions: University Games (board games/travel/card games), Great Explorations™ (science and glow-in-the-dark products), Bepuzzled® (puzzles), Colorforms® (Stick-Ons™ activity toys, games and puzzles) and Spinner Books™ ("The Books You Can Play!™"). University Games has been named one of the top 150 fastest-growing companies by the San Francisco Business Times, and was named one of the fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc. Magazine. University Games has been the recipient of more than 100 toy awards from organizations such as Parent's Choice, Family Fun Magazine, Child Magazine, Parenting Magazine and Dr. Toy. For more information about University Games, call 1-800-347-4818.