New York, NY (October 20, 2008) -- October 20, 2008 — Scholastic announced today that to celebrate the December 4, 2008 launch of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, written and illustrated by J.K. Rowling, Scholastic will sponsor a national essay contest for American kids to attend a once-in-a lifetime event in Edinburgh, Scotland with J.K. Rowling. In addition, on launch day in the U.S., one of only seven original copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, hand-written and illustrated by the author, will go on display at The New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street where it will remain until January 4, 2009.

CHILDREN’S ESSAY CONTEST

J.K. Rowling decided to write The Tales of Beedle the Bard to help others. The book is published by the Children’s High Level Group -- the English charity, co-founded by J.K. Rowling and Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP, to protect and promote children’s rights and make life better for vulnerable young people -- in cooperation with Scholastic, Bloomsbury and Amazon.

In order to enter The Tales of Beedle the Bard essay contest, fans are asked to write an essay of 200 words or less describing how they have helped others. Because so many kids today are taking an interest in helping others in their schools, communities and around the world, the Scholastic contest gives them an opportunity to write about causes they care about and what they’ve done to make a difference. The contest begins today and entries must be received by 5 p.m. EST on October 30. Entrants must be legal residents of the United States with a valid U.S. passport and between ages 8-17. Each winner will have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, who must also have a valid U.S. passport and be available to travel with the winner. For complete details on how to enter and Official Rules of the contest, visit the essay contest page at www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/beedleessaycontest.

Five lucky winners and their chaperones will be the guests of Scholastic for an all-expense paid trip to Edinburgh, Scotland to attend an exclusive event at the National Library of Scotland on December 4, 2008 with J.K. Rowling, the author of the phenomenally best-selling Harry Potter books. The extraordinary celebration will be a children’s tea party with 250 children. J.K. Rowling will read from The Tales of Beedle the Bard and then take part in a Q&A session hosted by Barry Cunningham, publisher of The Chicken House® and Rowling’s first editor.

ORIGINAL HAND-WRITTEN BOOK EXHIBIT

Fans visiting New York from December 4, 2008 to January 4, 2009, will be able to view one of only seven original hand-written and illustrated copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard that will be on loan for display at The New York Public Library. The original copy is made available for public viewing by kind permission of Arthur A. Levine, American Editor of all seven books in the Harry Potter series. Arthur was one of only six people to receive an original Beedle – created, illustrated and hand-written by JK Rowling – as a personal gift from the author last year. The seventh copy was given to the Children’s High Level Group for the charity to auction and was acquired by Amazon for a winning bid of £1.95m / $4m in December 2007.

There will be a press preview of The New York Public Library exhibit on December 3, 2008 at 10:00am est. where Arthur Levine will share his experiences editing the series and the thrill of being one of only six individuals who received the special gift from Ms. Rowling. The free exhibit will open to the public on December 4th.

In response to the many requests from fans who sought copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, three versions of the book will hit stores in the U.S., U.K. and online on December 4, 2008. One of the tales – The Tale of the Three Brothers – is recounted in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The remaining four stories are revealed for the very first time in The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

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 the Children’s High Level Group

The Children’s High Level Group is an English charity (registered charity number 1112575). http://www.chlg.org.uk

Contacts:

Scholastic Inc.
Kris Moran
212 389-3789
kmoran@scholastic.com

Scholastic Inc.
Kyle Good
212 343-4563
kgood@scholastic.com