Which Books Will Win Your Vote?

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
6^th 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
5^th 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 6^th 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.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

LIVE CHAT! The 39 Clues Author Patrick Carman

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

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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.

39 Clues Live Chat Today!

If you love The 39 Clues, then don't miss the live chat with Patrick Carman, author of Book 5: The Black Circle!

WHEN: Today, 6-7 PM E.T.
WHERE: The STACKS (Click here at 6 PM for instructions on how to join the chat.)

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.

Check it out and we'll see you later at the chat!

— STACKS Staffers

The 39 Clues Book 5 Is Here!

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!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

LIVE CHAT! Harry Potter

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.

LIVE CHAT! Summer Challenge

Summer's in full swing . . .  Have YOU taken Scholastic's Summer Challenge?

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!

WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 4-5 p.m. (ET) / 1-3 p.m. (PT)
TOPIC: Summer Challenge

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

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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!

How to make your team mascot your icon:

1. Go to the STACKS message boards.
2. Sign in.
3. Click the "My Icon" link.
4. Go to the "Symbols" section.
5. Click on the mascot for your team. Voila!

OR, if you're already signed in to THE STACKS, just click here to choose your icon.

See you all tomorrow!

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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.

LIVE CHAT! Year-End Reading Wrap-Up

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 :-)

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UPDATE: 5/26 — Thanks for joining the chat! A transcript will be posted soon.

UPDATE: 5/28 — Transcript is now available for your reading enjoyment.

Being Green Chat Recap

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.

So, those were the most memorable moments of the chat for me. Again, you can read the whole transcript here. And you can continue the conversation on our Save the Planet message board, moderated by none other than Moderator_Elise! Or for more info on what you can do, there are tons of books to check out. Here's three suggestions to start you off: The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon, Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life by Molly Band and Penny Chisholm, and You Can Save the Planet: 50 Ways to Make a Difference by Jacquie Wines.

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!

— Karen, STACKS Staffer

LIVE CHAT! Being Green

Greetings, Splotter Earthlings! The next STACKS live chat is all about BEING GREEN, so mark your soon-to-be-recycled-biodegradable-calendars!

WHEN: Saturday, April 18, 4-5 p.m. ET
TOPIC: Being green!
SPECIAL GUEST: Elise, Save the Planet message board moderator

Earth Day is on April 22nd, and we're super psyched to hear from you guys about how to save energy, save animals, and save our planet! (Oh. Humans too.)

Here's your chance to talk to STACKS kids all over the world about how you can contribute to stopping global warming, preserving animal habitats, and making our one and only Earth the best place to live.

Can't wait for the live chat? Get the conversation started on the Save the Planet message board. AND if you're already on the board, get excited — because Elise (the Save the Planet board moderator) will be joining our chat as a very special guest. Yay for Elise!

— STACKS Staffers

PS: Many of you are logging in from all over the world, and it's awesome that you do! If you're not sure what time our 4-5 p.m is for you, check out this handy dandy time zone convertor (should open in a new window or tab). If you're still not sure, leave your STATE or COUNTRY (no cities!) in the comments and we'll try to help you out.

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UPDATE: 4/18 — Thanks for joining the chat! A transcript will be available soon.

Book-to-Movie Chat Recap

Last Saturday, we hosted lively chat about book-to-movie adaptations. Boy, STACKS users are way passionate about books and movies . . . We covered a lot in just one hour! (Okay, we ran a teensy bit longer than scheduled.) Read the transcript to find out what other kids thought of the movies and books listed below.

Movies/Books Mentioned During the Chat:

• Call of the Wild
• Chronicles of Narnia
• City of Ember
• Coraline
• Ella Enchanted
• The Golden Compass
• Harry Potter (of course)
• Holes
• Howl's Moving Castle
• Hunger Games
• Inkheart
• A Little Princess
• Lord of the Rings
• Never Ending Story
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians
• The Secret Garden
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
• Thief Lord
• Twilight
• The Wizard of Oz

Kids also thought that these books should be made into movies (take note, Hollywood!). Which book or series do you think should be made into a movie first?

Discuss the results in the comments!

Here's the link to the chat transcript again — and mark you calendars! The next live chat will be on Saturday, April 11, 4-5 p.m. ET (1-2 p.m. PT). The topic (by popular demand) is BEING GREEN! We'll be posting more info about it soon!

— Nancy, STACKS Staffer

LIVE CHAT! Book-to-Movie Adaptations

Hey, Splotters! A STACKS live chat is coming soon to the Internet near you!

WHEN: Saturday, March 14, 4-5 p.m. ET
TOPIC: Book-to-Movie Adaptations

Which book-based movies would you give two thumbs up? Which did you like better: the book or the film? Did you miss any characters who were cut from the movie? And if YOU were in the director's chair, which of your favorite books would you make into a movie — and who would star?

Here's your chance to share your opinions with other kids on the STACKS — so join in, March 14th! Just check back here the day of to find out how to sign into the chat.

See you there!

— STACKS Staffers

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UPDATE: 3/14 — Thanks for joining the chat!

UPDATE: 3/21 — Check out our Chat Recap and the full transcript!

Thanks to all of you guys who joined the chat.

Inaugural STACKS chat recap - celebrities and more

As promised, check out the live chat transcript from January 22. We talked politics, the White House, and even cats and versus dogs!

Scholastic also got a chance to ask some celebrities the same questions about (now) President Barack Obama and his inauguration:

Tiffany Thornton, from the new show Sonny with a Chance	AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig, from the upcoming film Race to Witch Mountain

(We interviewed AnnaSophia, Alexander and Tiffany separately, so they weren't actually in the room together, btw.)

Q: Did you watch the inauguration?

Alexander: I did. And it was incredible.

AnnaSophia: I did! I was so jealous of my mom, though, because she was there. I wanted to go so badly. I was in the school cafeteria and school library. They pulled down some screens and played it over the projectors. It was cool to be watching with my whole school

Tiffany: There were parts of it I missed, but I did watch part of it. I think my favorite part of it was when he wrapped it up by saying, "God bless you and God bless America." I don't know — it just gave me a real tingle.