Las Cruces, U.S.A. — Parents know that knowledge is power, and reading is the key to this power. However, many parents struggle to find ways to make their kids be avid readers. Children are more likely to read if parents let them decide what they read, however parents can give them directions and offer support, Scholastic suggests.

“… it’s your [the parents'] job–not the schools’–to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them,” CNN suggests.

“Parents are powerful instruments when it comes to setting the tone for whether or not a child will be a reader, and certainly what their children read,” says L.A. Miller, the author of the new science-fiction and fantasy YA book series Quests of Shadowind, which includes “Sky Shifter,” “The Grounding Stone,” and “Veil.”

“Quests of Shadowind” is the story of a group of kids who are abducted to an alien world called Shadowind, which is inhabited by ghostly creatures, cyborg animals, and virtual humans–a land where anything is possible, including being downloaded into a cryptic, evil, role-playing game. In order to survive, the teens band together as they search for a way back home.

“Freedom of choice is key to getting them motivated and excited. Vampire sagas, comics, manga, books of sports statistics–terrific–as long as kids are reading,” says James Patterson, a father and a “New York Times” best-selling author. “Should they read on e-tablets? Sure, why not? How about rereading a book? Definitely. And don’t tell them a book is too hard or too easy.”

Learning to read does not always come naturally. This is a skill that must be taught, and it takes some work. Parents should show their children that reading can be fun and help to incorporate reading as part of the everyday activities the whole family enjoys.

“In many ways parents’ attitudes can inspire their children to love reading,” says L.A. Miller. “It’s important to create reading environments in and outside of the home, and to stick to it. I believe parents are good reading role models. If your child sees you and other family members reading, it’s more likely that he or she will pick up a book.”

The National Education Association offers some tips for choosing books for children:

• For beginning readers, select books that match their skill level.
• Find colorful books.
• Pick books based on the child’s interests (hobbies, nature, science).
• Let the child make his or her own choices.
• Support every book choice.
• Ask librarians and teachers for book suggestions.
• Encourage your child to try different kinds of books.

“Reading is one of the most important skills that parents can help to develop in their children,” says Mr. Miller. “It’s a fundamental skill that will help children to be as academically successful as possible.”

For more information, visit www.QuestsofShadowind.com.

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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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New York, U.S.A – Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, won eight 2012 AEP Awards for its classroom and professional magazines, educational programs and professional development resources. The Association of Educational Publishers’ annual awards program and its seal of excellence are widely recognized by educators, administrators, and parents as a mark of outstanding educational value.

The awards won by Scholastic included a Golden Lamp Award, the educational industry’s top honor, which went to Math Solutions for its ‘Classroom Discussions’ professional development program, a Beacon Award for the Math Intervention Catalog, and six Distinguished Achievement Awards, including two for Scholastic’s informative and age-appropriate Election 2012 Website, which helps younger children to understand some of the complex issues that pertain to the upcoming election.

“We are honored to be recognized by the AEP for many of our publications and educational programs this year,” said Hugh Roome, President of Scholastic Consumer and Professional Publishing. “Our editors and designers are committed to bringing high-quality and timely educational materials to classrooms across the country, which allow teachers to use current events to enhance students’ understanding of the world in which they live. We’re proud of this commitment and encouraged by the AEP’s recognition.”

Classroom Discussions: Seeing Math Discourse in Action, which won the top award in the Professional Development category, is a multimedia resource illustrating the significant role that classroom discussions can play in teaching mathematics and in deepening students’ mathematical understanding and learning.

“The Golden Lamp Award is the most prestigious award in the educational publishing industry, and we are honored that AEP has recognized Classroom Discussions,” said Patricio Dujan, Vice President and General Manager of Math Solutions. “The award really goes to the students and teachers in classrooms across the world who learn from our professional development. Math Solutions continues to be committed to improving teacher effectiveness and math instruction.”

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J.K. Rowling announced on Thursday that she will be coming out with a new book for adults. However, it is reportedly “very different” from her famous Harry Potter series, and she has chosen the company Little, Brown to publish her book. Details like the release date, title, and genre of the book were not released. It is known that the ebook version will come out at the same time as the printed one, unlike the Harry Potter books.

The last book in the Harry Potter series came out in 2007, and Rowling has mentioned in the past few years that she was writing an adult book and a Harry Potter encyclopedia. Her Harry Potter series was published by Bloomsbury in Britain and Scholastic in the United States, but Rowling will now be working with the same publishing company that Stephenie Meyer used for her “Twilight” series.

Rowling stated, “Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series […] The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me, and with that new territory, it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life.”

Rowling’s agent, Neil Blair, said there had been no auction, but would not reveal any other financial details. “As her new book is for a different audience, and marks a new literary direction for her, it made sense to separate the two and for her new book to be launched by a different publisher,” her agent said.

Any book by the famous author is almost guaranteed to sell millions, though it would be a difficult feat for her new characters to have the same success as the exorbitantly popular Harry Potter, especially since she is switching from children’s books to adult books.

However, since the Harry Potter series had fans of all ages, she should have better success than other children’s book authors who have attempted to make the switch in the past. Rowling’s new publisher has been closemouthed about the details surrounding her book, but if she is starting a “new phase” in her career, then there will most likely be more than one publication to expect from the British author.

Rowling’s Edinburgh neighbor, Ian Rankin, is an author himself. He commented on Twitter Thursday that he believes Rowling wrote a mystery novel. He tweeted, “Wouldn’t it be funny if J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults turned out to be a crime story set in Edinburgh? My word, yes.”

Image Courtesy of  Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, announced recently that it will publish a new four-book series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater, whose Shiver trilogy has more than 1.7 million books in print and whose most recent novel The Scorpio Races was just named a Michael L. Printz Honor Book by the American Library Association.

The Raven Boys (978-0-545-42492-9, $17.99 hardcover; 978-0-545-46979-1, $17.99 e-book; 978-0-545-46593-9, $39.99 audiobook; Ages 13 and up) will be published on September 18, 2012, to be followed by three additional novels in The Raven Cycle.

Scholastic holds world rights to the series, and The Raven Boys will launch simultaneously in English September 2012 in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

“When Entertainment Weekly called Maggie Stiefvater ‘one of the finest YA novelists writing today,’ it couldn’t have been more on the mark. Maggie has an extraordinary ability to balance epic storytelling and deeply personal truths, exploring both the mythology that surrounds us and the myths we tell about ourselves. The Raven Boys is a remarkable next step in an already remarkable career,” says David Levithan, Publisher and Editorial Director, Scholastic Press.

Author Maggie Stiefvater says, “I grew up on a diet of exceptional fantasy series for children—The Dark Is Rising, The Black Cauldron, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia — and I’ve always wanted to write one of those sprawling epic sagas built from intimate moments. I sat on a draft of The Raven Boysfor a decade, but it wasn’t until I had the tools I learned from writing the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races that I knew how to do it.”

Filled with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, The Raven Boys introduces readers to Richard “Dick” Campbell Gansey, III and Blue Sargent. Gansey has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on the hunt to find Glendower, a vanished Welsh king.

Legend has it that the first person to find him will be granted a wish—either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart. Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love.

Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there—known as Raven Boys—can only mean trouble. When Gansey and his Raven Boy friends come into her life, Blue realizes how true this is. She never thought her fortune would be a problem. But now she’s not so sure.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/onourminds/

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