Scholastic Book Fairs Podcast

Did you know that penguins don't walk, they waddle? Or that giraffes travel in a herd? Each spread is narrated from the animal's point of view with rhyming text that not only entertains the reader, but teaches something about that animal group. With its heartwarming illustrations, this novelty book with gatefold flaps brings fun animal facts to life in a way that's sure to have readers entertained for hours!

Take a rhyming journey around the globe to explore the little known world of albino animals. Along the way, learn how different animals can end up without any natural protective coloring and the effect that has on their lives. This beautifully done book adds to our knowledge of the animal world. Written and illustrated by 2nd grade students from Longfellow Elementary in West Allis, Wisconsin.

A mysterious mirror in a dark basement transports Abby and Jonah into the middle of different fairy tales. In their first adventure, the siblings find themselves tangled in Snow White’s story. After accidentally changing the course of events, they must set things right to ensure Snow White gets her “happily ever after”! A fresh, modern spin on a classic fairy tale!

This book takes children on a fun, imaginative and informative journey as they explore what it would be like if their own front teeth were replaced by those of a different animal. Featuring a dozen animals (beaver, great white shark, narwhal, elephant, rattlesnake, naked mole rat, hippopotamus, crocodile, and more) the easy text and whimsical illustrations show how different teeth are especially adapted for an animal's survival. At the end of the book, children will discover why their own teeth are just right for them. Each spread features a photograph of the animal using its specialized teeth on the left and a humorous illustrated image of a child using that animal's teeth on the right.

In war-torn Afghanistan, a girl walks right into a hail of bullets: Elinor watches it with her own eyes. The young British army medic risks the line of fire to rescue her, only to realize the girl is gone. To find the missing, mysterious child, Elinor enlists the help of an American Navy SEAL. But in all the confusion, with coalition troops fighting every day to maintain a fragile peace, does Ben have something to hide? Elinor came to Afghanistan with the hope of changing hearts and minds: What she's about to discover will make her question everything she ever believed about love and war. A war thriller and a cross-cultural love story with an undercurrent of magic realism, this is a powerful debut set in modern-day, battle-scarred Afghanistan.

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks. Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself - and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London. Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity. As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it.

Janie Gorman is smart and creative and a little bit funky, but what she really wants to be is normal. Living on an isolated farm with her modern-hippie parents is decidedly not normal, no matter how delicious the goat cheese. High school gives Janie the chance to prove to her suburban peers that she’s just like them, but before long she realizes normal is completely overrated, and pretty dull. If she’s going to learn how to live large (and forget the haters), Janie will have to give up the quest and make room in her life for things from the fringe—like jam band, righteous chocolate, small acts of great bravery, and a boy named Monster. This charming story is a quirky road map for life and also a reminder that detours are not about missing out, but about finding a new way home.

New technology is now a major tool in 21st century warfare, helping troops fight more efficiently and accurately thanks to amazing modern weaponry, robots, navigation systems, aircraft and other vehicles. By improving precision, protection and logistics, technology can save time, money--and lives--on the battlefield. This book showcases the extraordinary and groundbreaking technology used in modern conflict. The scope of technology is extremely wide-ranging--from the billon-dollar stealth bomber airplanes to Helmet Mounted Displays that allow a pilot to control weapons through situational awareness. This highly visual introduction educates children on the practical application of modern technology in warfare with information on satellite intelligence, smart bombs and bullets, laser-guided weapons, IED detection robots, high-tech body armor and much more

It’s Christmastime, and Tallulah finally gets what she’s been wishing for - a part in a real ballet, a professional production of The Nutcracker. She’s only a mouse, but she works as hard as if she had been cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy. On the night of the show, everything is perfect. But then disaster strikes! Does Tallulah have what it takes to become a real ballerina? A well-told story, gorgeous illustrations, and a beloved character conspire to make a positively magical Christmas book.

Being shipwrecked on a jungle island in the middle of the South Pacific was bad enough. But now that Carter, Vanessa, Buzz and Jane have lost their boat - and almost everything on board - to another violent storm, it's like starting over. That means finding food and shelter, making fire for the first time, dealing with the wild boars that roam the island - and of course, figuring out how to get along (and not kill each other in the process). Survival is no individual sport in a place like this, but there's only one way to learn that. The hard way.

As the dogs embark on their quest for hot dogs, they learn they're not the only ones on a mission. A band of raccoons are following close behind, and they're ravenous too!

In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party - her body will commit murder, if her mind can't stop it. Sixteen-year-old Callie lost her parents when the genocide spore wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first - the very young and very old. With no grandparents to claim Callie and her little brother, they go on the run, living as squatters and fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes via Prime Destinations, run by a mysterious figure known only as The Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, known as enders, who get to be young again. Callie's neurochip malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her rich renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, even dating Blake, the grandson of a senator. It's a fairy-tale new life - until she uncovers the Body Bank's horrible plan.

2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Winner Violet Addison can chat with the dead, but what really frightens her is starting her sophomore year at a new school. Still reeling from the loss of her mother, Violet is about find herself in the company of ghosts . . . both playful and deadly evil. Standing at the threshold to an unseen world with newfound friends at her side, only Violet can uncover the truth behind her mother’s death and save the family business: paranormal investigation.

Marylin knows that as a middle school cheerleader she has certain obligations. She has to smile as she walks down the hall, be friends with the right people, and keep her manicure in tip-top shape. But Marylin is surprised to learn there are also rules about whom she’s allowed to like, and Benjamin, the student body president, is deemed unacceptable. But maybe there is a way to convince the cheerleaders that her interest in Benjamin is for their own good. Maybe she’ll pretend that she’s using him to get new cheerleading uniforms! Kate, of course, finds this ludicrous. She is going to like whom she likes, thank you very much. And she just so happens to be spending more time than ever with Matthew Holler. But even a girl who marches to the beat of her own guitar strings can play the wrong notes, and are she and Matthew even playing the same song? Are both girls pushing for something they never really wanted in the first place?

Told in three separate story lines, Lois Lowry’s SON combines elements from the first three novels in her Giver Quartet - THE GIVER (1994 Newbery Medal winner), GATHERING BLUE, and MESSENGER - into a breathtaking, thought-provoking narrative that wrestles with ideas of human freedom. Thrust again into the dark, claustrophobic world of THE GIVER, readers will meet an intriguing new heroine, fourteen-year-old Claire. Jonas from THE GIVER is here too, and Kira, the heroine of GATHERING BLUE. In a final clash between good and evil, a new hero emerges.

This spectacular compendium features discrete chapters about each of our Solar System's eight planets, plus an additional special chapter about newly-designated dwarf planet Pluto, as well as several interesting satellite bodies. Large, clear photos and illustrations plus simple, engaging text will fascinate young astronomers and anyone interested in these amazing planetary bodies.

Just imagine – what would happen if a snowman could last all year? Would you ride a roller coaster together, dive into a swimming pool in the summer, watch the Fourth of July fireworks, and trick-or-treat on Halloween? One little boy imagines all of that and more in this hilarious, happy wish fulfillment story that readers young and old will adore.

In this collection of fourteen Silly Dilly songs focusing on the silliest aspects of school - from smelly lockers and stressing about testing to class picture day and lunchroom angst, readers are sure to giggle as they recognize scenes that are sure to happen in their classroom, too!

One Boy - Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he's going to die. One Mission - Jack needs to find seven magic loculi that, when combined, have the power to cure him. One Problem - The loculi are the relics of a lost civilization and haven't been seen in thousands of years. Seven Wonders - Because they're hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The thrills begin in this first installment of an epic seven-book adventure series, SEVEN WONDERS, from master storyteller and bestselling 39 CLUES series author Peter Lerangis. The highly anticipated series has received early praise from Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, who says, "A high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets, THE COLOSSUS RISES is Lerangis's most gripping work yet. Young readers will love this story!"