New York, U.S.A. – Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, announced on July 31, 2012 a live webcast with worldwide bestselling author J.K. Rowling on October 11, 2012 and the launch of the Harry Potter Reading Club, an online destination created to share the magical world of Harry Potter with a generation of new readers. The live webcast is presented by the new Harry Potter Reading Club from Scholastic at www.scholastic.com/hpreadingclub.

At 12:00 noon ET on Thursday, October 11, 2012, J.K. Rowling will participate in a live virtual author visit to classrooms across America to discuss the world of Harry Potter including Pottermore (www.pottermore.com), an exciting, free online experience that offers Harry Potter fans the chance to explore and discover exclusive new writing by J.K. Rowling as well as immerse themselves in other interactive content and community activities.

The October 11 webcast will be broadcast live from J.K. Rowling’s hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the first time she has had the opportunity to answer questions from kids live since 2007. Educators can sign up to join the webcast beginning July 31, 2012 at www.scholastic.com/hpreadingclub.

The new Harry Potter Reading Club website provides educators, librarians, after school program coordinators and parents who want to organize a book club with access to all the tools they need to host a Harry Potter Reading Club and celebrate the joy of reading. The first 10,000 registrants for the Club will receive a welcome kit including bookmarks, stickers and nametags. Printable versions of these items will also be available for download from the website.

“Scholastic has been in conversation with educators, librarians, and other book lovers about ideas for bringing the Harry Potter books to new readers in exciting and different ways,” said Ellie Berger, President, Scholastic Trade. “The Harry Potter Reading Club is a direct response to that feedback and provides an entry point through which the thrill of these books can be shared with new generations of Harry Potter fans both within and beyond the classroom.”

The Harry Potter Reading Club website includes a comprehensive discussion guide for each of the seven Harry Potter novels. The guides provide questions to help club members start an insightful conversation about the themes and events in the books and, in certain instances, how the books may relate to readers’ own lives and the world today. Each month Scholastic will add new themed activities to complement the Reading Club discussions that will often relate to experiences on the Pottermore website.

“I have run my own Harry Potter Reading Club with my students for two years and seen them grow into better readers while having a great shared reading experience,” said Donalyn Miller, sixth grade teacher, Trinity Meadows Intermediate School in Kellor, TX.   ”I am delighted to be an advisor for Scholastic on the new Reading Club so that many more children will discover and become deeply engaged in the series in their own clubs all across the country.”

The Harry Potter Reading Club will also feature a live feed at Twitter #hpREADS providing a community for club leaders as well as “Teacher Tips” from educators already running Harry Potter Reading Clubs. The site will also include a series overview, a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide as well as information about author J.K. Rowling and illustrator Mary GrandPre. Harry Potter Reading Club members can also expect invitations to additional special events and contests.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology and related services and children’s media. Scholastic creates quality books, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, magazines, multi-media and other products that help children learn both at school and at home. The Company distributes its products and services worldwide through a variety of channels, including school-based book clubs and book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, on-air, and online at www.scholastic.com.

About Pottermore

Pottermore.com is a free-to-use website, partnered by Sony, that can be enjoyed alongside the Harry Potter books. It is the only place to read new Harry Potter content by J.K. Rowling, and is the exclusive retailer of the Harry Potter eBooks.

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A new campaign, ‘One Million Bookprints for One Million Books,’ kicks off today, inviting readers of all ages to create a “Bookprint” at the online community, youarewhatyouread.com. For every Bookprint created, Scholastic Book Clubs will donate a new book to a child in need (up to one million books). Books will be distributed through the national school readiness initiative Reach Out and Read.

The five books that most impact someone’s life comprise their Bookprint. They can be children’s or adult books and Bookprints can change over time. On the “You Are What You Read” website, more than 200 “Names You Know” from entertainers to authors to journalists and even two U.S. presidents have shared their Bookprints.

The donation launches with 20,000 books – one book for each of the 20,000 Bookprints created by users already on youarewhatyouread.com. The One Million Bookprints for One Million Books campaign is part of Scholastic Book Clubs annual ClassroomsCare program which helps teachers engage their students around the importance of reading and giving.

“Creating a Bookprint is a great way for adults and children to talk about the importance of books in our lives and how books introduce us to heroes and role models or take us on exciting journeys to new places,” said Judy Newman, President, Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company.

“Through Scholastic Book Clubs ClassroomsCare initiative, students and teachers can also participate in the Bookprints for Books campaign and help put books into the hands of the children who may otherwise not have the opportunity to own their own books and experience the profound impact books can have on someone’s life.”

The One Million Bookprints for One Million Books Campaign comes at a critical time for children’s literacy organizations such as Reach Out and Read and Reading Is Fundamental. Recent government funding cuts are straining these organizations that provide books to the neediest children and critical advice to parents on how to develop their children’s early literacy skills at home.

“It is crucial for reading to begin at a young age and for all children to have books in their home,” says Earl Martin Phalen, CEO of Reach Out and Read. “The recent loss of government funding has impacted the ability of literacy organizations to continue to get books into the hands of children in need, so we thank everyone who creates a Bookprint in support of this campaign.”

In addition to making a donation of a book to a child, by creating a Bookprint at www.youarewhatyouread.com, participants will:

• Join 205+ famous reading role models, including: Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Gates, Paulo Coelho , Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson, Suzanne Collins, Tony Hawk, Taylor Swift, Daniel Radcliffe, President William Jefferson Clinton, President George H.W. Bush, and many others

• Connect with book lovers, similar readers from 140 countries and discover new reads based on books in other Bookprints

• Enter a safe social network all about books with two separate communities – one for adults, the other for children under 13 years old

• Find a book at a local library

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.

Reach Out and Read builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning at 6 months of age. The more than 3.9 million children served annually by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and they enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge over their peers.

Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses distribute more than 6.4 million books to children at 4,779 pediatric practices, hospitals, clinics, and health centers in all 50 states, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities.

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