SPONSORED BLOG POST Ice Age Continental Drift

This post is sponsored by Ice Age 4: Continental Drift.

In Ice Age 4: Continental Drift, Scrat's nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he's been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences: a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego, and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home. 

To celebrate the movie coming in July, you can have a chance to win a private screening for 50 of your closest friends, plus a Nintendo DS system. How can you enter, you ask? Pledge to do a random act of niceness to enter the sweepstakes. After you show your kindness, come back and enter again by making another pledge. You can enter as many times as you like! Plus, take the Ice Age Personality Quiz to figure out how nice you are!

Sweepstakes ends May 21, 2012. See the Official Rules for prize details and restrictions. 

Charity Book Drive for Kids

Charity Book Drive for Kids

Summer is almost here, and you know what that means. Summer Reading! YAY!!!! All that free, uninterrupted time to just dive into books. But I am about to tell you a very sad fact. There are many kids who don't have ANY books to read ever. They don't have any books at home, and they don't have any books at school, and they don't have a public library where they can borrow books.

As I write this, I am looking at a pile of delicious books on my desk at work. There are books in every room of my home, and I live 1 block away from the public library. I can't imagine a world where I couldn't just reach out and grab a book, but lots of kids live a book-starved life. That makes me sad. 

But there is a way we can help them. We can send them our books! There are several organizations that collect books and send them to schools and libraries all over the world where the kids have no books. Here are a few ways that you can get involved, but make sure you check with your parents first before you do any of these.

Operation Cleanup: Go through your own overflowing bookshelves, and pull out the books that you will probably never read again. Check to make sure they are in good condition. Nobody wants moldy, beat up, colored-in books. Then box them up and send them to one of the organizations below.

Books for Birthdays: For your next birthday party, request that all your guests give you a book. Then when you are done reading them all, box them up and send them to one of the organizations below.

Host a Book Drive: Put a box with a big sign by the Front Office at school (or church, or public library, etc.), and ask people to donate their gently used books. When the box is full, send it to one of the organizations below.

Mail the books (Media Mail or Book Rate is cheapest) to the organization that is nearest to where you live:

Bridge of Books NJ
P.O. Box 39
Rumson, NJ 07760

Reader to Reader MA
Cadigan Center
38 Woodside Avenue
Amherst, MA 01002 

BookEnds CA
2957 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064 

International Book Project KY
1440 Delaware Avenue
Lexington, KY 40505 

These are only a few of the organizations out there. There may be others that are closer to you. Ask your parents to do some investigating for you. 

Now while you're luxuriating in all that free reading time this summer, you can feel good knowing that other kids might have books too -- all because of you!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Beezus and Ramona 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.

Let's start with the classic story of older sister and younger sister, Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. 5-year-old Ramona drives her big sister Beezus CRAZY! It is not that Ramona deliberately sets out to make trouble. She simply has more imagination than is healthy for any one person, and it somehow always causes problems.

There are a bunch of books in that series, as well as the movie Ramona and Beezus. But once you've finished all those, what to read next? Try these other books about dealing with sisters, school, and everyday life problems. Click on the book cover below to see a whole bunch of other Beezus and Ramona Readalike books you might also love.

Hope you enjoy our Readalikes!

—Amanda, Scholastic Booktalker

Personality Quiz

Today's Personality Quiz comes from FairyEmerald31 on the STACK Back Message Board. Enjoy!

I decided to make a quiz to determine your personality. The answers (mostly A's, B's, C's . . . you get the idea) will be out next week. Just write down the answers in the Comments to participate, and then check back next week to see what your personality is.

1. It's picture day tomorrow. What are you most likely going to wear? 
   A. The cute new dress you saw at the mall. 
   B. A sweatshirt and your favorite pants. 
   C. Probably just a shirt and skirt, nothing fancy.
2. You chipped your nail. How do you react? 
   A. You scream and shout. Worst day ever! 
   B. Ignore it. You already chew them. 
   C. Have your parents cut off the rest of them so it blends in.
3. You're late for school. What do you do? 
   A. Have your parents drive you. 
   B. Jog.
   C. Bike it!
4. It's a rainy day. How do you spend it? 
   A. Look at the latest fashions. 
   B. Jumping in puddles!
   C. Just read a book.
5. What's your idea of a great restaurant? 
   A. The fanciest place in town with a large menu. 
   B. A casual place, the simpler the better. 
   C. I'm fine with anything. I'm not picky.
6. What's your favorite art tool? 
   A. Glitter, and lots of it! 
   B. Art, are you kidding? I'm terrible! 
   C. Crayons in pretty colors.

That's the quiz. I'll have the answers next week. Bye!

— FairyEmerald31 (c/o Sonja, STACKS Staffer)

Holiday Writing Prompt

Writing Prompt: Make Your Own Holiday

May 8 is No Socks Day! You celebrate by taking off your socks and letting your feet feel free (after school, of course). I don't know when this random holiday was invented or why, but it got me thinking. . .

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be?

I would invent Chocolate Chip Cookie Day which you celebrate by baking chocolate chip cookies and giving them out to all your friends. Obviously, they do the same, so you get piles and piles of home-made chocolate chip cookies that day!

What would YOUR holiday be? Tell us in the Comments.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer