November’s Bestsellers

Picture Books

 

1. Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner ($2.00 in the Holiday Gift Books Special Offer)
2. Llama, Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney ($10.00 in Firefly)
3. Corduroy’s Christmas Surprise by Lisa McCue ($2.00 in Honeybee)
4. Merry Christmas, Splat by Rob Scotton ($4.00 in SeeSaw)
5. Little Engine That Could and the Snowy Blowy Christmas by Watty Piper ($2.00 in Honeybee)

Transitional Readers

1. I SPY Thanksgiving riddles by Jean Marzolla ($2.00 in SeeSaw)
2. Pinkalicious: Pink Around the Rink by Victoria Kann ($3.00 in SeeSaw)
3. Little Critter: Snowball Soup by Mercer Mayer ($2.00 in Honeybee and SeeSaw)
4. Biscuit Meets the Class Pet by Alyssa Satin Capucilli ($2.00 in SeeSaw)
5. How to Train Your Dragon: Hiccup the Hero ($3.00 in SeeSaw)
Early Chapter Books

1. The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling ($3.00 in Lucky)
2. The Author Visit from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler ($3.00 in Lucky)
3. Sophie the Chatterbox by Lara Bergen ($2.00 in Lucky)
4. The Puppy Place: Ziggy by Ellen Miles ($3.00 in Lucky)
5. Phineas and Ferb: Freeze Frame ($4.00 in Lucky)

Chapter Books

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney ($7.00 in Lucky, Arrow, and TAB)
2. Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson ($2.00 in the Holiday Gift Books Special Offer and Arrow)
3. No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve ($3.00 in Arrow)
4. Now You See Me… (A Poison Apple Book) by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens ($3.00 in Arrow)
5. I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis ($3.00 in Arrow)

Middle Grade

1. The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan ($12.00 in Arrow and TAB)
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ($2.00 in TAB)
3. A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron ($5.00 in TAB)
4. Dark Fire by Chris D’Lacey ($6.00 in Arrow)
5. Immortal by Gillian Shields ($6.00 in TAB)

Nonfiction

1. Justin Bieber Quiz Book ($3.00 in the Holiday Gift Books Special Offer and Arrow)
2. Your Body (Usborne Beginners) ($3.00 in Firefly)
3. Scholastic Book of World Records 2011 ($9.00 in Arrow)
4. National Geographic Kids: Penguins! by Anne Schreiber ($3.00 in SeeSaw)
5. Bears (Usborne Beginners) ($2.00 in Lucky)

 

Scholastic Book Clubs’ Bestsellers are the most popular books offered across all age groups (PreK–8) each month. The ranking is based on the unit sales of titles available at the time through Scholastic Book Clubs. Books available each month for $1 are not included.

Putting Kids on a Pathway to Success

New data released by the Census Bureau in October revealed that 43 million Americans are now living in poverty, the largest figure since the Bureau began collecting this information.

Incredibly, the one group of Americans bearing the brunt of this crisis is children. According to the new statistics, 15 million American children are living in poverty, many of whom are falling behind because they aren’t getting the same opportunities to succeed as other children. You may be surprised to learn that half of all low-income fourth graders are not reading at grade level. Books are essential for learning and development, but 60 percent of children in poverty have no age-appropriate books in their homes.

Save the Children’s U.S. Programs work to break the cycle of poverty by tapping into the power of public-private partnerships and giving children access to the resources they need to change their circumstances, such as a quality education, supportive instructors, and essential books for learning.

Through the support of the Scholastic Book Clubs’ Classrooms Care campaign and our longtime partnerships with local schools and communities, Save the Children has been able to provide kids living in some of the most impoverished areas of the United States with more than 2.5 million books during the past 20 years.

Our partnership works. Kids read an average of 64 books throughout the school year in our literacy programs and the percentage of children reading at or above grade level nearly doubled from the start of the school year to the end.

Education is the vehicle out of poverty. By providing kids with the tools to learn now we’re setting them on the pathway to lifelong success. America’s future depends on the investment we make in education today.

Mark Shriver

Senior Vice President for U.S. Programs

Save the Children

Photo Credit: Save the Children/Susan Warner

Teachable Moment: Saying Sorry

Firefly’s November featured book is Martha Doesn’t Say Sorry! by Samantha Berger and illustrated by Bruce Whatley. Laura, Firefly’s editor, had the following to say about the lovable Martha:

Martha is a well behaved little otter—most of the time. After all, she does give hugs, shares her snacks, and makes presents for her family. But there’s one thing Martha doesn’t do very well—apologize. When Martha does something “not so nice” to her mother…and father…and baby brother, she gets a time-out to “think.”  Will this stubborn otter learn to say “I’m sorry”? Featuring simple text with charming illustrations, this is a perfect story (and gentle lesson) to share with young children. Find this sweet and humorous book on Firefly November!

Now, Martha is a cute little otter who does some very nice things, but she has one teeny tiny issue: She doesn’t like to apologize for those small occasions (such as kicking, throwing, or acting rudely) when she hasn’t been very nice. But saying you’re sorry isn’t that important, is it?

As it turns out, it is—after all, you can’t get cookies, hugs, or piggyback rides if you haven’t learned to apologize! Martha Doesn’t Say Sorry! is an excellent way to teach kids the importance of apologizing. With the help of her family, Martha learns that even though we’re sure to make mistakes, using a little “sorry” can turn things around for the better. This fun and humorous story provides a great lesson for those preparing for the holiday season or anytime!

What are some ways you teach your children about the importance of apologizing?

Virtual Catalog Tour

I don’t know about you, but I just looked at the calendar and realized that, OM-Goodness, it’s November 11! Thanksgiving is in two weeks and the holidays, like a 5^th grade pop quiz, are upon us! Where does the time go? I have yet to even think about shopping—just the idea of it gives me hives and I have to go hide in a good book—and let’s not even talk about finding the time to actually do it. What is one to do!?!?

Books make great gifts and this year’s Holiday Gift Books catalog is overflowing with awesome gift ideas. I’m lucky. I get to work on the catalog and that means I know THE BEST books available this season. Yes, I know you’re jealous. But I’m here to help! We have so many great books that I, along with my fellow Book Talker, Erin, and Holiday Gift Books Editor, Sada, decided to give you an exclusive virtual tour of the catalog. We wanted to show some of our favorites and give you something a little more than what you see on the printed pages.

Books not only make great gifts, they make kids better readers. I remember getting Where’s Waldo?, A Wrinkle in Time, The Hardy Boys, and Goosebumps as gifts when I was younger and they definitely shaped me into the voracious reader that I am today. I hope you enjoyed the video and we’re also here to answer questions…so ask away!

If you want to look more at the Holiday Gift Books catalog, click here.

Who’s Ready For The Snowy Day?

Here in New York City, we’re still weeks away from the first snow (we hope!), but that chill is certainly in the air. I try not to let the nippy weather get me down—instead, I see it as the chance to curl up with a blanket, a mug of hot chocolate, and a copy of Ezra Jack Keats’s 1963 Caldecott Medal–winner, The Snowy Day.

Keats’s gorgeous illustrations and simple, quiet text tell the story of Peter (you remember—he’s wearing that awesome red snowsuit), a boy who wakes up to find the first snowy day of winter. He spends his day adventuring in the snow, making tracks, building snowmen, crafting snow angels. Peter even tries to store a snowball in his pocket for the next day. Oh well—you gotta learn somehow!

On October 7, kids (and adults) all across the country read The Snowy Day to support Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, a campaign dedicated to promoting literacy from an early age. You can read more about the event here. Missed out, or just need some more Peter in your life? Look out for The Snowy Day in the upcoming catalogs and online*, or find it in the “Award Winners” section of Club Shop all year long!

* The Snowy Day is available in SeeSaw December!  Teachers, you can also find The Snowy Day big books and packs in November’s SeeSaw and Firefly.

This post was brought to you by Liz, guest blogger who is not afraid of the cold!

Happy Wimpy Kid Day!

It has finally arrived! The day everyone has been waiting for…when the newest diary of a certain wimpy kid comes in that Scholastic book box and kids can hold the books in their hands and go off and read. These books have made readers out of thousands and thousands of kids and we’re thrilled that we could be a part of that excitement. Scholastic Book Clubs has sent out over 300,000 shipments containing close to 800,000 copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth. We needed 34 truck trailers to ensure that we could ship the books to classrooms across America—and that is just for those who pre-ordered the books. Check out our crew in our warehouse in Jefferson City packing the books! They even had a “packathon” for it.

If you are interested in joining Wimpy Kid mania, you can find the new book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth in November’s Arrow! Also, be sure to check out Scholastic’s Jeff Kinney author page which has awesome interviews and more!

We Listen to You…All of You!

bookclubs@scholastic.com & http://www.scholastic.com/custsupport

It’s simple, really. We work in our offices in Soho (great neighborhood!) in the lovely New York City, but you are our eyes and ears into the classroom. Scholastic Book Clubs really thinks of parents and teachers as partners—we’re all in it to help children across America find books they can’t wait to read.

So we tout our customer service phone numbers and e-mails on every catalog and online,

AND we even include an e-mail address for our President, Judy Newman, so that you can write to her with any book recommendations or suggestions (judy.newman@scholastic.com). Comments like yours have made changes. No more service fees, unlimited enabling of catalogs online, Bonus Points (for teachers) starting at $1…and so much more.

In fact, I had the privilege of speaking to two teachers on Friday who had called customer service teams earlier in the week. (Yes, we care so much about what you have to say that we review comments and e-mails originally directed to our customer service team.)  These two early childhood directors had said that their parents weren’t ordering online (“jumped on the bandwagon” as one of them put it) and didn’t know why. So I spoke to them about educating parents on online ordering: ways to teach them how to order, how to find what they want, and how to talk about the rewards they would receive just for ordering online. We then talked about the books that their students were gobbling up  …and just kept talking. These two teachers gave me 30 minutes out of their hectic days, and they thought they were receiving help. I beg to differ. I learned so much, and was able to bring it all back to our teams here in NYC.

Thank you to these two teachers (you know who you are!), and to the thousands of teachers and parents who let us know how we can help.

Keep your ideas coming.

1-800-SCHOLASTIC &  bookclubs@scholastic.com

Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice

It’s time for Book Trailer Friday, you guys! Today, I wanted to share one of the funniest videos I’ve seen in quite a while. (It’s had the Book Talk team wailing “Muuuuchaaaachoooos” all over Scholastic.)

Skippyjon Jones is hands down one of my absolute favorite characters…probably ever! Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice is the latest adventure for this adventurous Siamese ca—ahem, excuse me, I mean Chihuahua. This time, Skippy must travel to Mars, the red planet. You see, it’s called the red planet because it is covered in very spicy red pepper. And Skippy needs to head there to find out whether or not there are Martians who may or may not look like him! Now, I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I will give you a chance to hear some of the story straight from the author herself:

Check out Judy Schachner reading during part one of Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice!

Be sure and find Skippy on SeeSaw this November so you can find out what happens!

Muggle-less Muggle: On to Deathly Hallows!

Oh man! I am so excited! I am finishing the Half-Blood Prince today and will be vaulting directly into Deathly Hallows, so there won’t be any video today because I am too busy getting my read on! I mean, we only have two weeks until the movie comes out, Muggles, so I have to be ready!

Now, before I launch into how excited I am to read Deathly Hallows, let’s take a moment to reflect on Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince. Rather than go on some long rant about each book, I will give you my favorite and least-favorite thing about each one:

Order of the Pheonix:

Most Fave: Dumbledore’s Army. Man, that is just awesome! This (for me, anyway) is when the books become more about kids doing something to save the world. It’s not just Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It’s everyone coming together to take on evil and make the world a better place!

Least Fave: Dolores Umbridge—need I say more? She is a vile woman and, for me, one of the greatest moments in the series is when she is relieved as the headmistress of Hogwarts! Man, I hate her!

Half-Blood Prince:

Most Fave: Probably Harry doing a curse on Draco. Great moment for many reasons.

Least Fave: The Half-Blood Prince (I’ll refrain from using names so as not to spoil it for anyone). That was a huge twist that wasn’t, ya know? I mean, I expected something to be revealed like that eventually—but this far into the series, the fact that it didn’t happen sort of lulled me to sleep about that character. UGH! I can’t wait for Deathly Hallows.

Now, on to Deathly Hallows! The main reason I am excited about delving into this finale is that this is the only book that I have absolutely no knowledge as to what will happen. I had previously seen all the movies for the other books, so while I enjoyed reading them, there was that missing element of uncertainty So I am going in with clear eyes and expecting the unexpected.

I’ll be back with a video recapping my thoughts on the final book, the series, and my excitement about the movie in two weeks. How excited are you for the movie? I’d love to hear about it. I know a few in our office have already bought tickets for the midnight showing. They’re going to be some tired Muggles at work that day.

Don’t forget, you can relive the magic or live the magic for the first time! All the Harry Potter books are on November’s Holiday Gift Books catalog.

Reading to Give: A Teacher’s ClassroomsCare Experience

ClassroomsCare has been a helpful addition to my classroom this fall. Now that the school year is in full swing, getting readers excited for books is vital. As my readers start diving into great books and striving toward personal goals, it is amazing how fast they are devouring books. By using ClassroomsCare, we can keep track of our reading and stop for that moment of awe while we help Scholastic help others.

After logging on to the ClassroomsCare Web site, I have found that there are many helpful tools to assist my students on their quest to read books. Even though I use a different recording form for books read, I have decided to implement the ClassroomsCare reading log to allow my students to feel a stronger connection to their role in reaching our classroom goal. The book recommendation printable is another resource I have found helpful in my classroom. My readers are always looking for a good book, and this is a quick and easy way for classmates to share their favorite titles.

While searching the ClassroomsCare Web site, I was also excited to see the new changes Scholastic made this year. Having around 100 readers, in the past I felt participating did not provide my students with enough of a challenge. The new format this year, though, eliminated that problem. By utilizing the online version of ClassroomsCare, I was able to register my class and set a goal of 10 books per student. The online book tracking was also a great addition. Now my students and I log on to the site each week to enter our completed books and watch the total grow.

ClassroomsCare has also brought awareness of others and our responsibility to provide a helping hand to those in need. My students were able to watch the videos Scholastic has provided on the ClassroomsCare Web site to see how our reading will benefit others through the three charity partners. As they look at our overflowing bookshelves, it is important to remember that not all children are as fortunate as they are. Even though we may not know who will receive the books, it is a great feeling knowing that someone else will be able to enjoy the books that we have come to love.