Contact:

Sara Sinek
ssinek@scholastic.com
212.343.6899

Kristen Joerger
kjoerger@scholastic.com
212.389.3343

New York, NY — July 19, 2013 — Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education and media company, today unveiled the new cover for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – the sixth of seven trade paperback editions with new covers illustrated by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Kazu Kibuishi. Kibuishi and David Saylor, Vice President, Creative Director, Scholastic, unveiled the new cover in San Diego, CA at the annual Comic-Con Convention. The complete series of new books and a new boxed set will be available on August 27, 2013, as part of Scholastic’s celebration of the 15th anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the original book in J.K. Rowling’s best-selling Harry Potter series

In each of the new cover illustrations, Kibuishi perfectly captures a pivotal moment from that particular book. For Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the artwork depicts Harry and Dumbledore standing on a treacherous rock above the rushing waves and spray of salt air, near the entrance to a cave that holds secrets and dangers that Harry can’t begin to imagine.

Fifteen years after the first U.S. publication of J.K. Rowling's first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in September 1998, there are more than 150 million Harry Potter books in print in the United States alone and the series still hits bestseller lists regularly. The seven Harry Potter books are published in over 200 territories in 74 languages and have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide.

About Kazu Kibuishi Kazu Kibuishi is the Eisner-nominated creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling Amulet series of graphic novels, as well as the comic collection Copper, both published by Graphix/Scholastic. He is also the founder and editor of the Flight Anthologies, a critically acclaimed comic series; and the creator of Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, which was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. Kazu Kibuishi lives in Alhambra, California with his family. Visit him at www.boltcity.com and on Twitter at @BoltCity.

For more information about Harry Potter and the new paperback releases, visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/harrypotter where downloadable images of the new cover for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as well as previously released covers of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix are available. The final cover will be revealed in the coming weeks.