Scholastic Reads

In this episode, Arthur A. Levine, Vice President and Publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, joins us to talk about the authors, topics, and books that he has championed throughout his career. Authors Francisco Stork (Marcelo in the Real World, The Memory of Light) and Mike Jung (Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities, Unidentified Suburban Object) will also join us to talk about their new work. 

Guests: 

• Arthur A. Levine is Vice President and Publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. Throughout his career, Levine has edited and championed an exceptional and diverse group of writers and artists, including Emma Donoghue, J.K. Rowling, Lisa Yee, Jaclyn Moriarty, Shaun Tan, Sundee Frazier, and Dan Santat. The imprint publishes Varian Johnson, Francisco Stork, Eric Gansworth, Sarwat Chadda, and many others. Arthur is also a leading publisher of books-in-translation, introducing American children to such writers as Daniella Carmi (Israel), Josef Holub and Wolfgang Herrndorf (Germany), Luis Sepulveda (Chile), Laura Gallego Garcia (Spain), Silvana Gandolfi (Italy), Nahoko Uehashi and Komako Sakai (Japan), Sylvie Weil (France), Guus Kuijer, Karlijn Stoffels, and Marcel Prins (The Netherlands), and Anne Provoost (Belgium). Arthur A. Levine Books is also recognized for having brought out the first contemporary YA novel translated from the Russian, Playing a Part, an LGBT coming-of age-story by Daria Wilke. Follow @AALBooks on Twitter.

Additional resources:

• Learn more about Arthur A. Levine Books here.

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

In this episode, we're talking about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Created in 1923 by Scholastic founder Maurice R. "Robbie" Robinson, the program has a noteworthy roster of past winners, including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, and Joyce Carol Oates, among many others. We sat down with the Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, Virginia McEnerney, Scholastic CEO Dick Robinson, and two 2016 Gold Medal Portfolio Recipients, Razan Elbaba and Alex Zhang. 

Guests:

• Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, Virginia McEnerney

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, and follow them on Twitter at @artandwriting. 

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

In this episode, literacy expert Pam Allyn joins us to talk about summer learning and how we can turn the dreaded “summer slide”—the learning loss children experience when they’re out of school—into the “summer leap,” a time filled with opportunity and joy around reading. Kelli Cedo, Principal of Forrest Elementary in Virginia, and Bruce Butler, Principal of Marieville Elementary School in Rhode Island, also join us to talk about how their schools embrace year-round learning.

Guests:

• Literacy expert Pam Allyn is the Founding Director of LitWorld and the co-author of Every Child a Super Reader: 7 Strengths to Open a World of Possible (Scholastic, 2015). Follow her on Twitter at @pamallyn and @litworldsays.

Additional resources:

• Learn more about the Summer Reading Challenge, our free online reading program for kids.

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

We’re celebrating School Library Month with three of the most dedicated librarians we know. John Schumacher (the famous “Mr. Schu”) and Scholastic librarian Deimosa Webber-Bey talk with us about why they became librarians, the crucial task of finding the right book for a child, and why—as John describes it—the library is “the heart and soul of a school." Kristina Holzweiss, the 2015 School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, also joins us to share her thoughts on why libraries matter.

Guests:

• John Schumacher (aka Mr. Schu) is a blogger, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University, and the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs. Before joining Scholastic, he was a teacher-librarian at Brook Forest Elementary School in Oak Brook, Illinois. In 2011, Library Journal named John "The Xtreme Librarian” for the "gears and stunts" he uses to get kids reading. Teacher Magazine named him a “Cool Teacher” in 2014 for redefining what it means to be a teacher-librarian. John served on the 2014 Newbery Committee. You can find him blogging at www.MrSchuReads.com or tweeting @MrSchuReads. 

• Deimosa Webber-Bey is the Library Manager at Scholastic and responsible for the corporate archive, readers advisory, cataloging, and the employee book club. A Dartmouth alum and native of New York City, she was in Cohort 5 of the NYC Teaching Fellows, and taught for several years in public schools in Queens, Brooklyn, Albuquerque, and the Pueblo of Jemez. Deimosa also worked as the Teen Librarian at the Rio Rancho Public Library. She has published in YALS ("Noise @ Your Library", 2008) and The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy ("Runaway Quilt Project", 2014). The oldest of six children and a life-long vegetarian, she enjoys reading, writing, hip hop, comics, and quilting. Follow Deimosa on the Scholastic On Our Minds blog and on Twitter (@dataquilter).

• Kristina Holzweiss is a librarian at Bay Shore Middle School (BSMS) in Long Island, New York. She was named School Library Journal’s 2015 School Librarian of the Year. The award “honors a K–12 library professional for outstanding achievement and the exemplary use of 21st-century tools and services to engage children and teens toward fostering multiple literacies.” While she did not particularly enjoy attending middle school, Kristina loves being a middle school librarian. Follow her on Twitter @lieberrian. 

Additional resources: 

• Download the 2016 School Libraries Work! Report, a body of research that supports the effectiveness of school libraries.

Craig Hatkoff and his daughter Isabella join us to talk about Cecil’s Pride: The True Story of a Lion King, their stunning new picture book. Craig and Isabella give us a behind-the-scenes look at the famed lion’s life and death, and explain how their family’s passion for animals has resulted in a series of children’s books about resilience and survival. 

Guests:

• Craig Hatkoff. A prolific children’s book author, Craig is a cofounder of the Tribeca Film Festival and founder and Chairman of Turtle Pond Publications, a private entertainment and media company in New York City. He is also on the Board of Directors of WildlifeDirect, New York University’s Child Study Center, the Sesame Workshop, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Borough of Manhattan Community College Foundation. Craig Hatkoff, Juliana Hatkoff, and Isabella Hatkoff have authored Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, Looking for Miza and Winter’s Tail, among many other titles. 

Additional resources:

• Learn more about Cecil’s Pride: The True Story of a Lion King.

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

Actor, author, philanthropist, and rockstar mom Holly Robinson Peete joins us to talk about her new book, Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express, which she co-wrote with her twins, RJ and Ryan Elizabeth. The book explores the funny, painful, and unexpected sides of teen autism. 

Guest:

• Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) has devoted her life and career to autism awareness. Since 2000, when Holly’s son RJ was diagnosed with autism, she has worked tirelessly to help families everywhere who are raising children with autism. Peete is the wife of former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete and the working mother of four children. She and her husband co-founded the HollyRod Foundation, which provides support and resources for families living with autism and Parkinson’s disease. Her picture book, My Brother Charlie, co-written with her daughter, Ryan Elizabeth, and illustrated by Shane Evans, received an NAACP Image Award.

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

Photo credit: Stephanie Willis

Literacy expert Phyllis C. Hunter joins us to talk about what inspires her (Jennifer Hudson, passionate teachers, and the musical Hamilton), and to share advice on how to help children become avid readers.

Guests:

• Phyllis C. Hunter is an internationally renowned and beloved literacy expert who has served as an adviser to both the President of the United States and the Secretary of Education. She has worked as a district reading manager, principal, and speech and language therapist. In 2009, Hunter was named the Marcus Garvey Educator of the Year by the National Alliance of Black Educators and received the Scholastic Education Heroes Award for her contributions to the field of children’s literacy. In addition to having created the Phyllis C. Hunter Classroom Libraries, Hunter is the author of It’s Not Complicated! What I Know For Sure About Helping Our Students of Color Become Successful Readers. 

Additional Resources:

• Do you have questions on how to reach disengaged students? Or, how to face the challenges of the achievement gap? Ask Phyllis anything! 

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

Just in time for Women’s History Month, Kate Beaton joins us to talk about her bestselling picture book, The Princess and the Pony, writing female characters, and her work on the wildly popular Hark! A Vagrant comic strip. Editors Cheryl Klein and Emily Clement also join us to talk about how they first discovered Kate’s work and to share some of their favorite female characters in literature.

Guests: 

• Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant, Step Aside, Pops, The Princess and the Pony, King Baby)

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

Photo credit: Notker Mahr

Author and actress Sonia Manzano, along with editor Andrea Davis Pinkney, discuss the making of Sonia's coming-of-age memoir, Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx. Sonia joined the cast of the acclaimed television series Sesame Street in 1971, where she defined the role of "Maria" and went on to write for the show, retiring in 2015 after 44 years. Sonia has won 15 Emmy Awards for her television writing and is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Guests:

• Sonia Manzano, actress (Sesame Street) and writer (The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx)

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl

The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps is the country’s oldest and largest student reporting program. This year, our team of young journalists is out on the campaign trail, meeting candidates and covering caucuses, primaries, and debates. In this episode, we talk with two Kid Reporters about their experiences reporting on the election so far. We also hear from Classroom Magazines editorial director Steph Smith about how Scholastic covers the race for the White House for kids, and from middle school teacher Josh Torpey about how he gets students in his Humanities class thinking deeply about the election. 

Guests:

• Steph Smith, Editorial Director, Classroom Magazines 

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps and meet our 2016 Kid Reporters here.

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl