Scholastic Book Fairs Podcast

When Zia Donatella comes to live with the Bertolizzi family, little do Alfie and his older sister Emilia know what's in store for them. Zia Donatella is determined to show the kids how a home-cooked meal is better than even the best take-out pizza or burrito. And when Zia's plan actually transports Alfie and Emilia to famous food cities around the world, they learn first-hand how food can not only take you places but can also bring you back home. Alfie and Emilia find themselves transported to Naples, where they meet Marco, a young Italian boy on a very important mission to shop for the essential ingredients for his family's entry in the city's annual pizzafest contest. In their whirlwind search for the perfect items, Alfie and Emilia not only get a taste of Italy, but also find themselves refereeing a family feud between Marco's family and his uncle's family.

Survive. At any cost. 10 concentration camps. 10 different places where you are starved, tortured, and worked mercilessly. It's something no one could imagine surviving. But it is what Yanek Gruener has to face. As a Jewish boy in 1930s Poland, Yanek is at the mercy of the Nazis who have taken over. Everything he has, and everyone he loves, have been snatched brutally from him. And then Yanek himself is taken prisoner, his arm tattooed with the words PRISONER B-3087. He is forced from one nightmarish concentration camp to another, as World War II rages all around him. He encounters evil he could have never imagined, but also sees surprising glimpses of hope amid the horror. He just barely escapes death, only to confront it again seconds later. Can Yanek make it through the terror without losing his hope, his will, and, most of all, his sense of who he really is inside? Based on an astonishing true story

Late at night, when all is quiet and everyone is asleep, a ninja creeps silently through the house in search of treasure. Soon he reaches his ultimate goal...and gets a big surprise! Will the nighttime ninja complete his mission? With spare text and lush illustrations, this fun, adventure-filled story about the power of play and imagination is a winner of the 2013 Children's Choice Award.

This special young adult edition of the New York Times bestseller TRIDENT K9 WARRIORS gives readers an inside look at the SEAL teams' elite K9 contingent: who they are, how they are trained, and the extreme missions they undertake to save lives. This is the dramatic tale of how the author, a skinny, bullied child, discovered his passion and grew up to become the trainer of the nation's most elite military working dogs.

Princess hates all things pink and princessy. She loves monster trucks and getting dirty! One night, Princess discovers that her refrigerator is a portal to the Land of Fake Believe, a place filled with variations of fairy tales! In this first book, Princess meets Moldylocks and the three beards. Hilarious, full-color art throughout!

The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd--and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. Along the way readers get glimpses into the inner workings of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of the Secret Service. The plot moves toward a wild climax, as robbers and lawmen converge at Lincoln's tomb on election night: November 7, 1876.

In this exciting full-color series, Gordon Blue transforms into Kung Pow Chicken, an avian superhero who fights crime in the city of Fowladelphia. The first book in the series kicks off when Gordon's birdy senses lead him to a festival. Suddenly, POOF! Feathers fill the air and shivering naked chickens are everywhere. Why have all these chickens lost their feathers? Forced to wear wooly sweaters, the city itches for a hero. Kung Pow Chicken hops into his Beakmobile to save the day!

It's Fair Day, and Fearless Franco's famous Monster Truck Mania has come to town. Hot Rod Hamster and his friends are geared up for a roaring, soaring great time, so they set out to find the best ride at the fair. The water boats, spinning teacups, and bumper cars are great, but Hamster can't seem to find the BEST ride. That is, of course, until Fearless Franco needs a last-minute back-up driver for his monster truck. Can Hot Rod Hamster help him out? Hot Rod Hamster proves once again that being small doesn't mean you can't think BIG!

Quentin never asked to be the Heartbreak Messenger. It just kind of happened, and Quentin is certainly one who never lets a golden opportunity pass him by. The valuable communication service he offers is simple: for a small fee, he will deliver a breakup message to the customer's soon-to-be ex. The "deluxe" package includes some flowers and a box of chocolates to soften the blow. At first, Quentin's fledgling business is surprisingly successful, which is good because he suspects his mom is worried about money. But as he interacts with clients, message recipients, and his best friend, Abigail, it doesn't take long for him to wonder if his own heart will remain intact. Quentin discovers that the game of love and the emotions that go with it are as complicated as they come--even for an almost-innocent bystander.

Fly Guy and Buzz are ready for their next field trip, and they visit a natural history museum to learn all about dinosaurs! With straightforward text, humorous asides, and kid-friendly full-bleed photographs throughout, young readers will learn lots of fun facts about these prehistoric creatures. Award-winning author/illustrator Tedd Arnold really brings nonfiction to life in this fun nonfiction reader!

Aria looks like your everyday, pretty twelve-year-old girl who loves colored shoelaces and cupcakes. But there is more to Aria than meets the eye. She is a guardian angel, and before she can earn her wings, she has to help other girls her age work through different struggles. In her first mission, Aria must help Gabby, whose brother has cancer. Gabby has been focused on her brother for so long that she's put aside her own hopes and dreams. Aria befriends Gabby, and with guidance, humor, and a touch of magic, she helps Gabby learn to heal and help herself.

This two-book pack includes: DEADTIME STORIES: INVASION OF THE APPLEHEADS: Katie and Andy Lawrence thought moving to a new town, especially one named Appleton, was awful enough. They were wrong. When their parents take them to Appleton’s famous apple orchard for a haunted hayride, weird things start happening. The ghouls who haunt the orchard seem spookily real. The kids they see are acting very strange. Then Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence disappear and in their place, Katie and Andy find creepy shrunken applehead dolls! Now Katie and Andy have to find a way to turn their parents back to normal, before it’s too late! DEADTIME STORIES: BEAST OF BASKERVILLE: Everyone in Baskerville knows about Jimmy Leeds. In fact, Adam Riley and his friends have been telling scary stories about Jimmy for years, stories they don’t really believe. After all, how can anyone believe in a half-human beast with horns and hooves? But the legend of Jimmy Leeds isn’t just a story. When all the kids in the neighborhood decide to have a giant cam

CLARK THE SHARK celebrates boisterous enthusiasm, and knowing when it's time for indoor voices! Clark is a shark with zing, bang, and BOOM. He zooms into school, crashes through the classroom, and is rowdy at recess. Clark loves life, but when his enthusiasm is too much for his friends, Clark's teacher, Mrs. Inkydink, helps him figure out a way to tone it down. This is one of those great picture books, with fun rhythm and rhyme, that everyone loves to read aloud!

Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart. But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. A "word collector," Felicity sees words everywhere, shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears, but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home." And then there's Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity's never seen before, words that make Felicity's heart beat a little faster. Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she'll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town and her mother's broken heart.

A fascinating look at the trailblazing inventions that have advanced technology and transformed the way we live, as well as the gadgets and gizmos that we couldn’t live without!

This newest edition to the blockbuster WEIRD BUT TRUE series is packed with 300 wacky facts for all young history lovers.

There are few things Roman loves as much as baseball, but his country is at the top of the list. So when it looks like the United States will be swept up into World War II, he turns his back on baseball and joins the US Army. Roman doesn't mind. As it turns out, he is far more talented with a tank than he ever was with a baseball. And he is eager to drive his tank right into the field of battle, where the Army is up against the fearsome Nazis of the Afrika Korps. The North African terrain is like nothing Roman has ever known, and desert warfare proves brutal. Most brutal of all, though, are the uncertainties of war in such a foreign place, where loyalties shift as quickly as the sand dunes. As Roman drives his team deeper into disputed territory, one thing becomes very clear: Life in wartime is a whole new ball game

Abandoned in a blinding blizzard in the wintry wilds of Russia, Sophie Smith fears for her life. But just like in a fairy tale, a princess comes to her rescue: the beautiful, exotic Anna Volkonskaya. Over a river of ice in a horse-drawn sleigh, she brings Sophie and her friends to a magnificent, if weathered, winter palace. At first, Sophie is enchanted by Princess Anna's stories of long-ago royalty, of white wolves and gray diamonds. But when the princess takes a particular interest in her, Sophie grows concerned. What is her place in the sinister mystery that surrounds her? Even as the wind and wolves howl outside, is she more in danger now, a prisoner of the palace, than she ever was lost in the snow?

Most books for kids concentrate solely on King Tut's mummy and treasures. WHO WAS KING TUT? offers a portrait of the young king and his family, including illustrations on almost every page, interesting visual sidebars, a timeline, and a complete bibliography.

A life in the wild! Jane Goodall, born in London, England, always loved animals and wanted to study them in their natural habitats. So at age twenty-six, off she went to Africa! Goodall's up-close observations of chimpanzees changed what we know about them and paved the way for many female scientists who came after her. Now her story comes to life in this biography with black-and-white illustrations throughout.