The 2012 Person of the Year Is. . .

2012 PERSON OF THE YEAR!

Time Magazine has their Person of the Year, and we now present the first ever . . . STACKS Person of the Year!

Last week we asked you to nominate the person or group of people that have had the biggest impact in YOUR world in 2012. There were lots of amazing nominations, but the person (or in this case group of people) is . . . Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne, a.k.a. One Direction.

• ArtisticCat7 has personal reasons for nominating One Direction. "They have made a big impact on my life because it's the first time I was really involved in a band. It showed off a different side of me as a person." 
• Caroline nominated them "because they're just simply downright AMAZING!"
• ChattyAngel42 summed it up saying, "They're all so talented and nice! I think they should be nominated because they've gotten really popular this year."

Happy New Year, One Direction! You are the STACKS Person of the Year!

Writing Prompt: Word of the Year 2012

Writing Prompt: Word of the Year 2012

Have you ever noticed that the way people talk changes over time? Words that used to be popular start to sound annoying after a while, and new words that you never heard of before start to sound cool and fun. So today's Writing Prompt is a question for you. What was the most popular new word of 2012?

The American Dialect Society chooses a word every year that highlights what's prominent in the world of grown-ups that year. In 2011, the word was "occupy" because everyone was talking about the protest movements around Occupy Wall Street. In 2010, the words was "app" because apps were a new thing and everyone was going crazy for them.

The word of the year should be:

• new or newly popular in 2012 
• widely and/or prominently used in 2012
• OR about something that's popular in 2012

What's YOUR word of the year for 2012? Leave a Comment to tell us what word was on everyone's lips at your school in 2012.

Have a happy new year!!!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Calum Worthy Interview

Calum Worthy Interview

If you watch Austin and Ally, then you know who Calum Worthy is since he plays Dez on the show. You might not know that he is Canadian and will turn 22 on January 28. He first decided to become an actor at age 4 after seeing Macauley Culkin in Home Alone (rated PG). Basically, he has been acting, singing, and dancing his entire life. Read on to find out more about his role on Austin and Ally, plus his plans for the future.

Donate Coats This Winter

Kid Power! Kids can make a difference! Every Thursday on Ink Splot 26, we'll show you a new idea for how YOU can make the world a better place.

Do you have a winter coat that doesn't fit you anymore? Don't throw it away! Donate it to One Warm Coat, an organization that gives away free coats to families who need them. Here is a great way to bring some warmth into someone's life AND recycle at the same time, making the world a better place in 2 ways!

• What
  New or gently used coats
• When
  Now through January 21
• Where
  The Customer service Desk at any Burlington Coat Factory store will take your donations, but other organizations in your community may also be collecting coats. Ask your parents, teachers, or youth group leaders if they know.

Go check the back of your closet to see if you have coats that you won't be wearing this winter. Or you could go one step further -- organize a coat drive and get everyone in your school to donate their coats. Someone can definitely use them this winter!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

December Books of the Month!

Last month I made a beautiful word cloud out of your book recommendations on the Reading Buzz Board. I asked you to tell us what books you are reading now, and here they are! YOUR December book recommendations in Wordle-y wonderfulness! I think Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games series(for ages 12 and up) are tied, but Harry Potter is up there too!

I need your help for next month's Book Wordle. Leave a Comment with the title of the book you are reading right now. In January, I will make a new word cloud of all our reads for the whole month. So fun! I love Worldle-ing!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Holidays Around the World Quiz Answers

Holidays Around the World Quiz Answers

Last week I posted some Holiday Trivia from around the world. And now the wait is over to unwrap the answers! Check them out below. 

2012 Top Record-Breaking Moments

Guinness World Records Top Record-Breaking Moments of 2012

Guinness World Records, the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievement, reveals the most remarkable records from 2012! Read on for the most amazing, astounding, and awesome records of 2012!

2012 Person of the Year!

2012 PERSON OF THE YEAR!

Time Magazine has their Person of the Year, and now presenting the first ever . . . STACKS Person of the Year!

Tell us the person OR group of people that have had the biggest impact in YOUR world this year. Just write your nomination in the Comments below. The nominee who gets the most comments by December 31st will be named STACKS Person of the Year. We’ll announce the winner on New Year’s Day.

You can go serious, silly, or somewhere in between. President Obama, One Direction, The Fierce Five Olympians, Taylor Swift . . . You get the idea. We can’t wait to see who you nominate.

Come back on New Year’s Day for the 2012 STACKS Person of the Year Winner!

Happy Happy!

—Ratha, STACKS Writer

Coco Jones Interview

Coco Jones Interview

9th grader Coco Jones stars in the Disney movie Let It Shine with Tyler James Williams and Trevor Jackson. In this interview she talks about her music, her life at school, and the other shows she would love to guest star on.

How to Make a Recycled Plastic Snowflake

How to Make a Recycled Plastic Snowflake

I know you guys love recycling stuff. Well here is a way to take those ugly, evil plastic six-pack rings and recycle them into something beautiful. When I saw this video showing how to make a snowflake out of them, I flipped! It doesn't even look hard! I am so making this!

Watch the Snowflake how-to video and start collecting those plastic rings. You can make a pretti-ful winter wonderland.

Leave a Comment telling us how awesome you think these snowflakes are! Do you have any other recycled craft ideas? Leave those in the Comments too.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

The Mysterious Benedict Society Readalikes

The Mysterious Benedict Society 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 The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. When 11-year-old Reynie answers this ad in the newspaper ("Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"), he has no idea of the adventures he is about to get into. He and 3 other kids pass a series of strange tests that admit them into the Mysterious Benedict Society. That's when their lives start getting strange!

I SPY a Challenge!

I SPY a Challenge!

'Tis the season for games! Video games are on many holiday wish lists (including mine)! Some of you may even have a couple I SPY games on your lists. If you do, Scholastic has a special treat for all the I SPY gaming fans out there. For the first time ever, Scholastic has released I SPY game packs on Wii and Nintendo DS that offer double the fun with two complete I SPY games in one. The Wii game pack includes Ultimate I SPY and I SPY Spooky Mansion, while the Nintendo DS pack includes I SPY Fun House and I SPY Universe (all rated E).

Did you know that the covers of all the I SPY video games are designed so that you could play I SPY on the cover? It's true! There are numerous objects hidden within each I SPY cover and you could play I SPY on each one. So in honor of the game packs and for some fun (not to mention extra challenge), we've developed two I SPY riddles to solve across the Wii and DS games. Are you up for the challenge? Yes? Alright! Ready, set, go!

I SPY CHALLENGE #1  Click to enlarge the image.
I spy a horseshoe, a cymbal, a bell, a little red bug, and a brown pot that fell; a tower, a diver, a rocket, a hat, a hidden sailboat, a key, and a rat.

I SPY CHALLENGE #2

Click to enlarge the image.
I spy a jack, two balloons, a drum, a plane, a ringed planet, and a little candy cane; Two ice cream cones, a dog with a hat; a letter, a snake, two balls, and a cat.

Did you find all the objects? Let us know in the Comments below. And, for extra fun, get creative and write an I SPY riddle of your own using these covers!

—Amabel, Scholastic Media