Aah, winter break! A much needed vacation from the pressures of schoolwork, and finally, some free time to read WHATEVER YOU WANT! For our December chat, we want to hear from you what your plans are for winter break. What books are you saving up for an all-day-long reading marathon while wrapped up in blankets by the fire, snow falling outside, and some kind person constantly refilling your mug of hot chocolate? Or maybe you are escaping winter to go on a tropical vacation - lucky you! What books will you bring to read on the beach? Come to the chat and let us know your recommendations for the perfect Winter Break book.
WHEN: Saturday, December 5, 2009 4-5 PM (E.T.) WHERE: THE STACKS TOPIC: Winter Break!!!
Nancy Krulik, the author of the How I Survived Middle School series will be joining us in our November Live Chat. Here is your chance to ask her all your burning questions about the series, about middle school, and about what it's like to be a real live published author! (Believe me, she knows. She's written more than 150 books!)
WHEN: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 6-7 PM (E.T.) WHERE: THE STACKS TOPIC: Chat with author Nancy Krulik!
To find out more about Nancy and read her books before the chat, visit the How I Survived Middle School website. There are also some very fun games and quizzes there. Hope to see you at the chat!
Also, write your questions for Nancy in the Comments now, and we will make sure to ask those during the chat!
UPDATE: 11/20 — Thanks for joining the chat. In case you missed it, or want to relive the memories, here is the transcript! Please come join us on December 5 for the next Live Chat.
DARE to chat with us? Join our LIVE CHAT on the Goosebumps series, other spooky books & more!
WHEN: Tuesday, October 27, 6-7 PM E.T. TOPIC: Scary books! HOW: Follow the instructions below.
Halloween is right around the corner! And to celebrate, our October Live Chat will be about the Goosebumps series and other spooky scary books. Join in the chat to talk with other kids about the books that give YOU goosebumps!
For more about the Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine, visit the Goosebumps site and learn more about lots of other Halloween Goosebumps events!
And if you're in New York City on October 24, stop by the Scholastic Store in SoHo at 3pm for a demo of the Goosebumps HorrorLand Wii game, and more Halloween fun!
— STACKS Staffers
UPDATE: 10/30 — Thanks for joining the chat! Read the transcript here. We'll be announcing the date and topic for our next chat soon!
I had such a blast last Wednesday at my very first Stacks Live Chat! A
whole bunch of you guys were there talking about The 39 Clues and it
was so fun! (The transcript is here, AND we are sending
Patrick Carman some of your extra questions that he didn't have time to
answer. We'll keep you posted on that!)
If you weren't there, we missed you!! But you should definitely come join the next one in September, ok?
The September Live Chat will be Kids' Choice. That means that you guys get to vote for which books you want to talk about. But what if you haven't read all of the choices? Here is a quick rundown of each of the books so you can make an informed decision. Don't forget to vote for your top 3!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
6th grader Greg has to deal with school, bullies, girls, and just life in general in this hilarious book. It is actress Sammi Hanratty's favorite book. Here's what she has to say about it:
If you still need more convincing, read Jack's review on Ink Splot 26.
Ripley's Believe It or Not All the strangest things you can imagine —and some that you could never imagine — are in this book: a man who is tattooed to look like a lizard! a two-headed sheep! a two-nosed pig! If you like weird, gross trivia and the revolting pictures to go along with it, then this is your kind of book.
Frindle by Andrew Clements 5th grade jokester, Nick, tries to annoy his teacher by calling his pen a "frindle." But what first seems like a harmless prank soon becomes a media frenzy when the whole class starts using the new word, and the joke spreads across town like wildfire.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo For readers who love fantasy, talking animals, princesses and castles, this is your book. Despereaux is a kind and sensitive mouse who falls in love with a princess. Talk about a doomed relationship! But it's a very sweet story.
How I Survived Middle School by Nancy Krulik On the first day of 6th grade, Jenny finds out that her best friend is ditching her for the popular crowd. Ouch! For more about this series, plus fun games and activities, visit the Middle School Survival web site.
Tunnels by Brian Williams & Roderick Gordon When 14-year-old Will discovers a secret, dangerous underground world, it puts him and his father in incredible danger. Check it out in this video. Still need more info? Ink Splot 26 Blogger, Rob, recommends this series as one his favorites of 2008.
Swindle by Gordon Korman What would you do if an adult swindled you out a million-dollar baseball card? Would you try to steal it back? These kids could would!
Here is a video of the author describing this fast-paced and funny adventure story.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Our own Ink Splot 26 Blogger, Ratha, raves about this book. Read her review.
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
If you love dogs, you'll love this book about two kids who get themselves into a lot of trouble. Here is a video of the author telling you about it.
Now that you have gotten a small taste of each of these books, go vote for the ones you want to discuss in the Live Chat.
Breaking News about The 39 Clues -- the next live chat will
be with Patrick Carman, author of Book 5: The
Black Circle!
WHEN: Wednesday, August 26, 6-7 PM E.T. TOPIC: The 39 Clues!
The worldwide hunt continues. And to celebrate August's release of Book 5,
we'll have the author of that book, Patrick Carman, as a special guest! Join in
the chat to get the latest intelligence on Amy and Dan's quest to unlock the
most powerful secret the world has ever known. Who knows what Clue leads will
be revealed!
And if you're new to the race for The 39 Clues . . . it's never too late to join the hunt! Visit The 39 Clues book site to find
out all about the books, the games, and even some great prizes* you could win.
—STACKS
Staffers
*NO PURCHASE
NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. For complete details and official rules go to
www.the39clues.com/info/prizes
UPDATE: 8/26 — Thanks for joining today's chat! We'll be posting the transcript soon, and also announcing the date for our next chat, where YOU will get to decide what books we talk about!
UPDATE: 8/31 —
Check out the transcript here, and find out where Book 6 will take place! Details about the next chat will be announced here on September 2.
Get ready for the chat by reading Mr. Carman's The 39 Clues Agent File (PDF). This top secret document will brief you on the important details you need to know about the author of Book 5, like what family branch he is in, and what he likes to do when he is not writing or conducting surveillance on the Cahills.
Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for another wild ride because The 39
Clues Book 5
is finally here! Everything about this book has been top secret, from Amy and
Dan's next destination (I'm not telling. You have to read the book!) to the
book cover itself. THAT at least I can show you. In fact, here is the author
Patrick Carman himself posing with his copy.
And speaking of Patrick Carman, don't miss the live chat with him on Wednesday August 26 from 6-7 PM E.T. He will be right here at the
STACKS talking about The 39 Clues. Who knows what Clue leads will be revealed!
This just in via Owl Post -- the next live chat is all about your (and our) favorite boy wizard wonder!
WHEN: Saturday, July 25, 4-5 PM E.T. (1-2 PM E.T.)
TOPIC: Harry Potter!
In celebration of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in paperback on July 7th, we want to know what kids on THE STACKS think of this little* phenomenon that J. K. Rowling's cooked up.
And if you've only just picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone . . . you've got until July 25th to catch up! Embrace your inner Hermione-esque nerd, take the quiz to find out which Hogwarts house you belong to, and bring your Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin pride to the chat!
— STACKS Staffers
*When we say "little," think along the lines of Hagrid's "little" Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, Norbert.
UPDATE: 7/25 — Thanks for joining today's chat! We'll be posting the transcript soon, and also announcing the date for our next chat, all about The 39 Clues.
If yes, then join us for a LIVE chat on the STACKS -- all about Summer
Challenge. Which Summer Challenge featured books have you read? What
other books are you planning to read this summer? How many points have you
earned for your team? Which mascot kicks the most butt?
And if you haven't signed up for the Summer Challenge competition yet . . . well, get on it! Join the Summer Challenge and then join
us for the LIVE chat!
And did we mention that you might earn POINTS
for your team if you join the chat? That's right — the team with the most members on the chat will get 1,000 bonus points! (Hey, we're all for world peace, but that doesn't mean we can't stir up a little friendly competition, right?)
— STACKS Staffers
UPDATE: 6/12 — MAKE YOUR TEAM MASCOT YOUR CHAT ICON!
Hey, guys. We're totally excited for tomorrow's chat — so excited, in fact, that we were considering decorating our office with streamers in the four team colors. But then we realized, "Uh, no one will be able to enjoy that but us . . . " So instead, we've come up with something that EVERYONE can enjoy: now you can choose your Summer Challenge team mascot as your icon for the chat and on the message boards!
OR, if you're already signed in to THE STACKS, just click here to choose your icon.
See you all tomorrow!
UPDATE: 6/13 — Thanks for joining the chat, everyone! We'll be posting the transcript soon -- plus announcing which team had the most members join the chat, to earn 1,000 bonus points! Go, Chickens! (That's an inside joke for those of you who were on the chat. You'll get it when you read the transcript . . . )
UPDATE: 6/13 — Check out the transcript, and congratulations to the BLUE and PURPLE teams, who tied for the most number of participants in the chat! Blue and Purple teams were each awarded 1,000 bonus points.
It's finally mid-May, and you know what that means! Well, yeah, it means a nice holiday for Memorial Day coming up. But think bigger . . . That's right, it's almost summer! AND it's time for our next STACKS chat:
WHEN: Tuesday, May 26, 6-7 p.m. (ET) / 3-4 p.m. (PT) TOPIC: Year-End Reading-Wrap Up — what did you read this school year and what will you read this summer?
Can you believe there have been about 160 school days since Labor Day? That's a whole lot of "independent reading time" — 80 hours if you did 30 minutes every day! But you can't fool us — we know you love books as much as we do. (Uh, have you even seen how much you guys post on our book boards?) So join us for a live chat to talk with other kids about your favorite books from this school year and what you plan to read this summer.
And in the meantime, count down the days to that glorious season of swimsuits, sleepaway camps, and sunblock in our Summer Challenge competition. Join a team, score points by reading, and help Scholastic donate to kids in need. Plus if you're on the winning team, you get to brag like nobody's business. So check it out — just don't have so much fun that you forget about our chat!
See you on May 26th!
— Your Friendly STACKS Staffers :-)
UPDATE: 5/26 — Thanks for joining the chat! A transcript will be posted soon.
Our STACKS chat last month was all about being green, in honor of Earth Day. We talked about recycling, conserving energy, being less wasteful, and most importantly, spreading the word about saving our one and only planet! Check out the full transcript to see what other eco-warrior kids had to say.
Some of my personal fave parts of the conversation were:
1) A bunch of you reported that your schools were celebrating Earth Day by turning off all electricity for an hour — or even the whole day! I suggested doing the same thing to my boss at Scholastic, but since I work on a website, that didn't exactly fly . . .
2) Special guest Moderator_Elise brought up the question of how to tell whether something is recyclable. I always thought that any piece of plastic with a 1 or a 2 on the bottom was fine for recycling, but thanks to you guys, I learned that it depends on where you live. So after the chat, I was inspired to do a little research about NYC in particular, and it turns out I've been trying to recycle a lot of stuff that isn't allowed. Whoops, guess I got a little overzealous. Sorry to the people at the processing plant who had to go through all my plastic!
3) Everyone agreed that it's important to be green everyday, not just on April 11th. As thumbelina08 put it: "We don't have to be green just on Earth Day, we need to be green all the time. Earth Day is just a reminder like a giant post-it note." I couldn't have said it better myself.
AND don't forget to join us for our next chat, on May 26th at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT). Our topic will be: Year-End Reading Round-up (your fave books from this school year and what you want to read this summer). See you then!
Our STACKS chat last month was all about 
