#scholastic press

[kenyatta]

Recently, I got an email with an offer from Scholastic’s Educational Division to license Love in the Library for an AANHPI narratives collection, I was thrilled. If you’ve been in kids’ books for more than ten minutes then you are aware of the staggering reach of Scholastic. And since I’m not published by Scholastic this seemed like  a thrilling opportunity. But as soon as I cleared the opening paragraph, my heart sank.  I’ve been really proud of Love in the Library’s successes. Yas Imamura’s illustrations are incredible. My publicist, Jamie Tan, of Candlewick did her job with sensitivity and respect. Our editor, Karen Lotz, helped shape the book into its best form while never demanding the story be told in a way she deemed might be more palatable. There were starred reviews, Best of 2022 lists, personal letters from people whose families had been incarcerated to whom this story means so much.  It is also true that I wish it sold more copies than it has. It’s a story I believe in, deeply, and a story that I think merits exposure– something Scholastic uniquely offers. And Scholastic wanted to license the book! But only with a change to the author’s note. My offer was contingent upon it. Without even looking I knew what it was going to be. It was going to be the paragraph that inspires 1 star reviews from angry patriots, the one that sends them to my inbox with words unfit to repeat here or anywhere. And sure enough that was exactly what they wanted to remove.  But not only that: the word RACISM would be removed from the author’s note altogether.  They wanted to take this book and repackage it so that it was just a simple love story. Nothing more. Not anything that might offend those book banners in what they called this “politically sensitive” moment. The irony of curating a collection tentatively titled Rising Voices: Amplifying AANHPI Narratives with one hand while demanding that I strangle my own voice with the other was, to me, the perfect encapsulation of what publishing, our dubious white ally, does so often to marginalized creators. They want the credibility of our identities, want to market our biographies. They want to sell our suffering, smoothed down and made palatable to the white readers they prioritize. To assuage white guilt with stories that promise to make them better people, while never threatening them, not even with discomfort. They have no investment in our voices. Always, our voices are  the first sacrifice at the altar of marketability.  And excuse my language, but absolutely the fuck not.

Scholastic, and a Faustian Bargain — Pretty Ok Maggie

[hollymbryan]

Blog Tour Spotlight: THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS by Alaya Dawn Johnson (w/ #giveaway)!

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the Rockstar Book Tours blog tour for The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson! I’ve got all the book and author details, plus an excerpt, for you below; there’s also a giveaway so be sure to read to the end!

About the Book

title: The Library of Broken Worlds author: Alaya Dawn Johnson publisher: Scholastic Press release date: 6 June 2023

A girl matches wits with a war god in this kaleidoscopic, thought-provoking tale of oppression and the cost of peace, where stories hide within other stories, and narrative has the power to heal -- or to burn everything in its path -- from World Fantasy Award–winning author Alaya Dawn Johnson.

A girl and a god, alone in communion...

In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great peacekeeper of the three systems, a heinous secret lies buried -- and Freida is the only one who can uncover it. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library's ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique -- and dangerous.

When Freida meets Joshua, a Tierran boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future.

With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives -- if he doesn't destroy her first.

Add to Goodreads Purchase the Book

About the Author

Alaya Dawn Johnson is an award-winning short story writer and the author of seven novels for adults and young adults. Her most recent novel for adults, Trouble the Saints, won the 2021 World Fantasy Award for best novel. Her debut short story collection, Reconstruction, was an Ignyte Award and a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist. Her debut YA novel The Summer Prince was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and the follow-up Love Is the Drug was awarded the Andre Norton Nebula Award. Her short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, most notably the title story in The Memory Librarian, in collaboration with Janelle Monáe. She lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. 

Connect with Alaya: Linktree | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Excerpt

By the time Samlin left me three weeks later, I felt like a blindfolded animal: confused, disoriented, ready to bite. I cried for days and sent him increasingly desperate messages until I realized he would never respond to me again. Nadi told me I’d forget about him, that everyone had to fall in love for the first time, that it would get better. I wanted to believe zir. But I was shivering, growing into ice, drifting into an empty sea. I didn’t know how to say what I was feeling. I hardly knew how to feel it.

Nadi had little time for me in those days. Ze was sequestered at a diplomatic round table with the Mahām leadership to address recent protests about their Treaty-condemned occupation of the Miuri moon. I didn’t push. The thought of telling Nadi precisely what had happened or not happened in that nanodrop made my guts twist like wet rope and my head fill with cotton. Better Iemaja, I decided. Better a god who barely understands the minutiae of human affairs and only speaks in communion.

I walked inside her because I had seen myself in Samlin’s deep eyes and hated that reflection. Freida the sweet. Freida the beautiful. Freida, once an excellent find but now inconvenient, twitchy, withdrawn, and desperate. I was beginning to see myself as they did, all those who stared and stared and saw nothing behind my eyes but a dark mirror. What was my heart, what were my bones, what were my constellations of synapses firing, lighting up my soul? Nadi insisted I was human, but even so, I had been left to freeze out in the ocean because no one thought I was worth any more. I was afraid, Nameren, so very afraid that they were right.

I had begun in Kohru, the artery of childhood and discovery and, in some ways, rebellion. But I was now in unknown capillaries. Some passages were so narrow that I had to get on my belly to pass through, the stone warm against my exposed skin. Sometimes the crystal would crack and water would bubble through the seams and I would slurp it down. It tasted of moonlight and copal and stillness. I told Iemaja that I loved her. The water then bubbled with her laughter and tasted of rose petals. It grew thick and slow with sugar. I lay in that soft, sticky womb for a while. The sweetness had been made to balance the salt of my tears. She is kind like that, Iemaja.

I told her about Samlin. I told her how helpless he had made me feel, not in my body, which he’d left untouched, but in my spirit. My tongue was heavy, as though it belonged to someone else. But still I spoke, until I reached the end.

Excerpted from The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson, Copyright © 2023 by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Published by Scholastic Press

About the Giveaway

One (1) lucky winner will receive a finished copy of The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson! This one is US only and ends 19 June 2023. Enter via the Rafflecopter below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Tour

Here’s this week’s schedule so you can follow along!

Week Two:

5/28/2023 - celiamcmaahonreads - IG Review 5/29/2023 - thealylifestyle - Review/IG Post 5/30/2023 - travelersguidetobooks - IG Review 5/31/2023 - Jaime_of_gryffindor - Review/IG Post 6/1/2023 - @get.outside.and.read - IG Post 6/2/2023 - Book-Keeping - Spotlight/IG Post      **you are here! 6/3/2023 - More Books Please blog - Review/IG Post

[winningthesweepstakes]

Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk and Lexi Underwood

Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk and Lexi Underwood. Scholastic Press, 2024. 9781338875577 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: ARC (publication date 6/4/24)  Genre:  Realistic fiction What did you like about the book:  Jordyn Jones is trying to reinvent herself when she transfers to Edgewood High, and is grateful for a new group of friends who seem to care about…

[lilibetbombshell]

[stephaniejoanneus]

Ultraviolet by Aida Salazar

Ultraviolet by Aida Salazar. Scholastic Press, 2024. 9781338775655 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: ARC (April 2024 publication date) Genre:  Novel in verse What did you like about the book? At the start of eighth grade, Elio Solis is suddenly catapulted into his first romance, with the dynamic Camelia. At the same time, his body is fizzing with hormones, and he…

[itmbookawards]

In the realm of Young Adult Non-Fiction, "Dreamer" by Akim Aliu is a graphic memoir shedding light on the author's journey as a Ukrainian-Nigerian-Canadian hockey player, highlighting the challenges of systemic racism and the power of resilience. "Sufferah" by Alex Wheatle delves into the author's experience in the British foster care system and the 1981 Brixton uprising. "Split Decision: Life Stories" provides dual perspectives of rapper-actor Ice-T's rise to fame and his former partner's life of crime. "Work With What You Got" tells the courageous story of Paralympian Zion Clark. "Summer of Hamn" by Chuck D illustrates the cycle of violence in major 2022 American events.

[maepolzine]

My Thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Sharing my thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the prequel to the Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

[mariannedonley]

REFUGEE by ALAN GRATZ—A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE

Refugee, by Alan Gratz, though written for a middle-grade audience, is a riveting novel for adults as well that draws us into the migrant experience from a child’s perspective.

REFUGEE Alan Gratz Scholastic Press  2018   ISBN 978-0-545-880-831 News stories remind us daily of the migrant crisis throughout the world as people flee their homes for a variety of reasons. Refugee, by Alan Gratz, though written for a middle-grade audience, is a riveting novel for adults as well that draws us into the migrant experience from a child’s perspective. Three continents. Three…

[colferpics]

A Conversation With Chris Colfer

KID REPORTERS’ NOTEBOOK - Mika Jones - June 20th, 2024

Chris Colfer has always been fascinated by space and the possibility of aliens. Now, the New York Times best-selling author is turning to science fiction in his writing. His latest novel for middle graders is called Roswell Johnson Saves the World! (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2024).

[READ THE REST ON SCHOLASTIC.COM]

[uwmspeccoll]

Staff Pick of the Week

My name is Elizabeth Voorhorst, and I am a new writing intern for Special Collections this semester. It is a pleasure to share this space, as I am excited to delve into the vast sea of books that Special Collections makes a home for.

I am an English major, with a focus on creative writing. Because of this, my time spent in Special Collections will be focused predominantly on fairy tales and folklore, perhaps dipping into mythology when curiosity and inspiration strikes hardest.

For this week, I wanted to focus on black creators and their works for Black History Month. Because my pride and passion is folklore and fairy tales, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what we have in our collection and share it with you!

Retellings are always enjoyable, as you get to see the way writers recreate and offer their own flare and heritage to the story. One such story is The Girl Who Spun Gold, a retelling of the German classic fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin. This retelling was written by Virginia Hamilton (1932-2002) and illustrated by Leo Dillon (1933-2012) and Diane Dillon (1933- ).The book was published 1n 2000 by Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

The story is about a West Indian girl named Quashiba, whose mother lies to Big King that she is able to spin golden thread. The King takes Quashiba as his queen, expecting her to fill whole rooms with golden fabrics and finery, which of course she would be unable to do. However, she meets a creature who offers to help, but demands that in three days she must guess his name correctly or be bound to him forever.

Quashiba is now able to fulfill the King’s continuous demands, but is unable to guess the name of her helper, until the King reveals to her that he ran across a strange creature in the woods who was dancing and singing a song that included his name, Lit’mahn Bittyun. So, on the final night, after the room is filled with fabrics and wondrous goods, Quashiba plays dumb for the first two guesses, and on the last guess she gives him his full name and he explodes into a confetti of golden specks. The King repents his greed, but only after three years and a day does Quashiba reconcile with him.

The absolutely stunning illustrations for The Girl Who Spun Gold were made using a four-color process with gold as a fifth color. The Dillons comment on the painting process, stating:

Knowing the difficulty of painting with metallic paint as well as the difficulty of reproducing gold, we still chose to use it, for the story itself revolved around the concept of gold. The art was done with acrylic paint on acetate, over-painted with gold paint. The gold borders were created using gold leaf.

The book was printed on one-hundred-pound Nymolla Matte paper, and each illustration was spot-varnished.  Color separations were made by Digicon Imaging Inc., Buffalo, New York, and the book was printed and bound by Tien Wah Press, Singapore, with production supervision by Angela Biola and Alison Forner. Along with Leo & Diane Dillon, the book was also designed with help from Kathleen Westray.

View more work by African American artists.

View more posts concerning African Americans.

View more Staff Picks.

- Elizabeth V., Special Collections Undergraduate Writing Intern

[disneytva]

Disney Publishing Worldwide And Scholastic Announce New Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur Graphic Novel Slated For 2024

Stephanie Williams and Asia Simone are creating a new Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur original graphic novel, Wreck And Roll for 2024, which might be when the second season of the TV show hits. It's a good guess, anyway. Disney and Marvel like to keep things tight, even though this book is being published by the biggest comics publisher in the English-speaking world, Scholastic.

📚 Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur: Roll and Wreck

February 6, 2024

Written By Stephanie Williams and Art By Asia Simone

Disney Press

Disney Publishing Worldwide

Marvel Press

Marvel Publishing Worldwide

Scholastic

An all-new original graphic novel starring Marvel's Lunella Lafayette (Moon Girl) and her pet dinosaur!  Just in time for the debut of her original Disney TV show, Lunella Lafayette — aka the smartest person in the Marvel Universe — gets her own original graphic novel!

When a rad-skating band of thieves start going wild, it's up to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur to take to the streets and put a stop to their crime spree – while making sure to bust a few sweet moves along the way! But can Lunella balance fighting crime AND training with her all new, all awesome derby team – especially when it turns out that team might be up to no good? Set against the backdrop of her vibrant Lower East Side community, this hilarious graphic novel with a diverse cast of characters will be a hit with kids everywhere.

[picturebookshelf]

Press Start! Super King Viking Land! (2023)

Story and Art: Thomas Flintham

[megsbooknook]

The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Cheap. I cost them five silvers. They cost me my family, my life, my freedom, and my future.”

I found it pretty hard to get into this book (as shown by the fact that I finished reading it pretty recently), it was pretty slow to start. And I've come to realize that I just don't enjoy historical fiction. It was also surprisingly dark pretty quickly. There are elements of child abuse, child marriage and sexual violence present in this story.

The Crystal Ribbon is about 12-year-old Li Jing. Her province is watched over by the deity the Great Huli Jing, this name similarity is a source of teasing for Jing. Her father a poor tea farmer decides that the only way to survive the winter is to sacrifice Jing for the greater good by selling her to a wealthy family in the city. In this new household she is expected to be a bride and nursemaid for the family's young son. She is treated poorly by the family and is eventually sold off into a worse situation. She decides the only way to get out of it is to run away. With the help of a spider and a nightingale, Jing might just find her way home.

Although the writing and story were quite easy to understand, I found it quite long and boring. The pacing also felt off it seemed to flip between how much time was passing as the author pleased. The fantasy aspect itself was something I quite enjoyed, it borrowed a lot from Chinese mythology which I have never explored so that was interesting to learn about. It was really nice reading about the relationship between Jing and Chang Er in her 3rd home after the mistreatment of Jing for so long. I don't think I would re-read this book or recommend it to anyone unless I was 100% sure they were looking for this kind of book, unlike some of the other books on this list (*cough* *cough* Legendborn *cough* *cough* which I recommended to about 6 friends as soon as I finished the last sentence).

[winningthesweepstakes]

Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly

Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly. Scholastic Press, 2024. 9781338809442 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Paperback ARC Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling What did you like about the book? Beau is a thief, left on his own to survive after both of his parents died and he needed to care for his very young brother.  Rafael, head of a band of thieves, saves Beau when he…

[thegirlwiththelantern]

2024 YA Fantasy Books

I didn’t really notice it while I was putting this list together but scrolling down just to check the formatting really put into perspective how many utterly amazing books there are. There might be more YA fantasy than adult fantasy that’s pulling at me this year. Sky’s End (Above the Black #1) by Marc J Gregson | 02 / 01 / 24 – Peachtree Teen Exiled to live as a Low, sixteen-year-old Conrad…

[stephaniejoanneus]

Free Period by Ali Terese

Free Period by Ali Terese. Scholastic Press, 2024. 9781338835830 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: ARC (3/24 publication date) Genre: Realistic fiction What did you like about the book? A pair of devoted pals pushes the envelope on period equity in this hilarious middle grade novel. Helen, a brilliant scholar (whose family doesn’t even like to say the word…