Name Your PC Day

Name Your PC Day

What falls on November 20th this year? You'll never guess. Nestled right in between November 19th (President James Garfield's birthday) and November 21st (the date North Carolina made statehood) is . . . Name Your PC Day!

Do you already have a name for your computer? If not, November 20th is the day to create one! To get in the spirit, here are some possible ideas to name your computer.  

• Big Mac (if you have a mac!)
• A pet love-y name like Pumpkin, Cream Puff, Mr. Cutie-Patootie
• Harry, Liam, Niall . . . you get the idea!
• Something really smart like Einstein, Madame Curie, Da Vinci
• Old Faithful
• Typee (due to its obvious skill)

So run the data, and leave YOUR name for your computer in the Comments below. I can't wait to hear these ones!!

—Ratha, Stacks Writer

Taylor Swift Visits Scholastic

Taylor Swift came to Scholastic global headquarters in New York to talk about why reading and writing are so important to her. The title of the event was "Read Every Day," whose initials are R.E.D, which happens to be the title of Swift's new album, and the color of the top she was wearing. Read all about the event here.

After the "Read Every Day" webcast, lucky, lucky Kid Reporter Leila Sachner had a chance to ask her own question to Taylor Swift. Click here to watch Leila's interview with Taylor Swift!

How awesome! What questions would you ask Taylor Swift if you had the chance to meet her? Leave a Comment.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Flipped Readalikes

Flipped Readalikes

You know when you find an amazing book, and you never want it to end? How do you find another book to read after that? Our answer: Readalikes to the rescue! We hope our Readalikes will rescue you from the what-to-read-next question, and help you find lots of new amazing books.

Today's Readalikes are for Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. The first time Juli saw Bryce, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the 2nd grade, but in the 8th grade everything gets turned upside down. And just as he's thinking there's more to her than meets the eye, she's thinking that he's not quite all he seemed.

PS. This book was made into a movie in 2010.

Ostrich Trivia Quiz

Ostrich Trivia Quiz

My father grew up in South Africa (the world leader in ostrich farming) where there are ostrich ranches that have these crazy ostrich rodeos and races with people trying to ride the ostriches. I've never seen it in real life, but I have seen ostriches close up, and I can totally understand how they would inspire people to want to do ridiculous things. Ostriches are actually really hilarious to watch. The way their skinny heads bob up and down, and their huge eyes look at you over their pointy beaks – it's just funny somehow. But ostriches are seriously amazing birds.

Guess the answers to this Ostrich Trivia Quiz and behold the true awesomeness of the ostrich!

You Know You're a Directioner When . . .

You know you're a Directioner when . . .

Have you heard the new One Direction album Take Me Home which was released on November 13th? You know you're a Directioner when you can say the exact date and time you first heard the new album! Here are some other signs of the One Direction Infection.

November Pop-Corn

TV, Movies, and Music you won't want to miss this November!

You’ve heard of Thanksgiving, but how about Pranksgiving? That's what Disney XD is calling the two new hidden-camera shows it will premiere in November: Just Kidding and Code 9. Zach Fox will play tricks on unsuspecting folks in six episodes of Just Kidding, and kids pull fast ones on their parents in Code 9, both set to air November 19-24.

If you love dogs, there's a lot to bark about on Hallmark Channel. In honor of the Hero Dog Awards special airing Nov. 8, there's a lot of great pooch programming on the days before, starting with 101 Dalmatians, Puppy Love, and You Lucky Dog on November 6, and Hatchi: A Dog's Tale on November 7. Then after the awards, watch A Dog Named Christmas.

Save the Planet

Save the Planet!

Help AquaPenguin126 get 100 ways to save the earth! Add your ideas to the list on the Save the Planet Message Board.

Million-Dollar Throw Readalikes

Million-Dollar Throw Readalikes

You know when you find an amazing book, and you never want it to end? How do you find another book to read after that? Our answer: Readalikes to the rescue! We hope our Readalikes will rescue you from the what-to-read-next question, and help you find lots of new amazing books.

Today's Readalikes are for Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica. Nate Brodie is nicknamed "Brady" not only for his arm, but also because he's the biggest Tom Brady fan. He's even saved up to buy an autographed football. And when he does, he wins the chance for something he's never dreamed of—to throw a pass through a target at a Patriots game for one million dollars. Can he make the million-dollar throw? PS. Good Luck Charlie star Bradley Steven Perry recommends this book to all Patriots fans!

Create a Caption: Puppy Eyes

The most innocent-looking people are usually the biggest troublemakers, and I think the same rule applies to puppies. This photo brings a whole new meaning to the expression "puppy eyes." How can you resist a face like that? I sure couldn’t.

What caption would you give this photo? Mine would look something like this:

“Hey, dad. I know I accidentally drove your new car into the swimming pool, and I’m really sorry about that . . . but I was hoping I could have $20 to get this new T-shirt I saw at the mall today?”

 What do YOU think? Irresistable, right? Share your caption in the Comments!

— En-Szu, STACKS Intern (a.k.a. MidnightMagic5)

Anna Graceman Interview

Anna Graceman Interview

If you watched America's Got Talent last season, you saw how amazing Anna Graceman was. Only 11 years old and 4 feet, 3 inches tall, she looked tiny, but she was a HUGE performer! She didn't win, but she's 12 years old now and just released her first album. Definitely a huge accomplishment! Find out more about her life now. . . 

Hunger Writing Prompt

Hunger Writing Prompt

Thanksgiving is a few short weeks away. It's a time to think about how lucky we are if we have good food to eat every day. Not everyone has that, so remember to be grateful and share what you have! 

Today's Write On Writing Prompt is about food, and it comes to us from AutoreDiEssere who asks:

What is the color of hunger?

For me hunger has different colors. . . 

• Pink = Mildly hungry. You could eat a piece of fruit and be fine.
• Green = Randomly snacking on everything you see because you haven't eaten lunch since 11:15am due to an early lunch period.
• Orange = Eating like a cave animal out the refrigerator as soon as you get home because you forgot your lunch and all you had were Jolly Ranchers since breakfast.
• Black = Seriously, severely hungry. 

What color do you think hunger would be (if it could be a color)? Let AutoreDiEssere know in the Comments below!

—Ratha, Stacks Writer