World Hello Day

People always talk about how they want world peace, but how often do they really do anything about it? Well here is something that you (yes, YOU!) can do to help create world peace. November 21 is annual World Hello Day and all you have to do is say "Hello!" to ten people.

But how is that going to create world peace? Think about it. If everyone in the world stopped fighting and actually just started talking to each other, we would have instant peace!

Try it. Instead of automatically snarling at your little brother first thing in the morning, give him a big hug and say hello. Instead of grumbling at your parents because you're tired and in a bad mood, give them a cheerful "Good morning!" Instead of walking past that person in the lunchroom who you normally would never talk to, smile and say hi. If you have been holding a grudge against someone, ignoring someone, been mad at someone for no real reason, give it up and just say hello. Say something nice to someone on the Message Boards. Or send a shout-out to someone's STACKS profile. Really there is no harm in just saying hello.

Ten people. That's all. Find ten people today and give them a friendly greeting. If everybody did this every day, then maybe we really could have world peace! Leave a Comment to let me know how it goes.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Rick Riordan NEW SERIES!

This thrilling news just made my whole week! Rick Riordan, the author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, has a NEW SERIES coming out next Spring!

Circle this date on your calendar: May 4, 2010 is the release date for The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid. It will be another fantasy series in a modern-day setting like Percy Jackson, but this series will feature ancient Egyptian mythology instead of ancient Greek. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Here is a tiny plot tease:
When a magical accident unleashes the Egyptian gods on the modern world, siblings Carter and Sadie Kane discover that they are the only ones who can put things right. As descendants of the greatest Egyptian magicians, they must find a way to defeat the evil god Set before he can destroy them.

It almost hurts to have to wait until May! OK, in the meantime, here are some other books about Ancient Egypt to keep you busy while you wait.

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Modern-day kids start playing a pretend "Egypt game" that leads to unexplainable events.

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers
Theodosia has to work to remove the hidden curses from the ancient Egyptian artifacts in the British Museum where her parents work.

Egyptology by Dugald Steer and Ian Andrew
A fascinating scrapbook of ancient Egypt, full of hidden discoveries and magical secrets.

There is a new section for The Kane Chronicles on Rick Riordan's website. There is not much about it right now, but I will definitely be checking back often! 

Yay!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Rick Riordan photo © Rebecca Riordan

Election Day 2009

Today is Election Day. If your school was like mine was growing up, you know this because you have the day off. But there was probably a sad lack of hullabaloo surrounding this election. Last year at this time, the election was all anyone could talk about, because it was a presidential election. The other three years, elections happen quietly every year on the first Tuesday after a Monday in November.

Wait, a Tuesday after a Monday? That's every Tuesday! The key is the Monday. The Monday has to be in November. So, if November 1st is a Tuesday, it's not Election Day, because the Monday was in October. Election Day is always between November 2nd and November 8th.

But back to the point . . . Just because we're not voting for President this year, doesn't mean there aren't a lot of important government officials up for election. None of them are country-wide, and most of them aren't even state-wide. Most of them are for the people who just run your town, and maybe the towns around it, so it would be impossible for me to name the candidates that matter to you. But your local newspapers and news stations should have all that juicy info. If you're looking for it online, you can find the election website for your state on Vote411.org.

—Carly H., STACKS Staffer

Join Lance Armstrong for LIVESTRONG Day!

LIVESTRONG Day, October 2, 2009, is a global day of action to raise awareness about the fight against cancer. Events will be held all over the world to push for better treatment, more cancer funding, and care for everyone who needs it even if they don't have insurance.

About Lance
In his mid-20s, cyclist Lance Armstrong had won the World Championships, the Tour Du Pont and multiple Tour de France stages, but his biggest fight was still to come. He was diagnosed with cancer at 25 years old.

Lance Armstrong beat his cancer. He educated himself about his disease and the treatment. Through physical conditioning, a strong support system, and a competitive spirit, Lance called himself a cancer survivor not a cancer victim. He created the Lance Armstrong Foundation and became a world representative for people living with cancer. Oh yeah, and he also went on to win the Tour de France bicycle race 7 times in a row!

For more about the Lance Armstrong Foundation, watch this video of Lance himself talking about it. And if you are a real Lance Armstrong fan, you can download this poster of Lance on his mountain bike. (PDF)

Summer Challenge Winners!

The Scholastic Summer Challenge is complete, with 61,000 kids logging on, playing games, chatting on the message boards, and reading 4 or more books for a total of 83,300,000 minutes!

And the team that read the most minutes. . . (drumroll please) the Purple Sea Stars! They will vote for their favorite Save the Children U.S. program to receive a bonus donation. If you are a member of the Purple Sea Stars, be sure to log in to the Summer Challenge site and vote for your favorite charity.

Here are the Naked Brothers Band with a final send-off:

Hope you have a great school year!

Future Journalists: Scholastic Needs YOU!

I've said before how lucky the Scholastic Kids Press Corps are. The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie premiere?  On the set at the Percy Jackson movie? Yeah, they were there. Well, now is your chance to apply to join. I'm too old or I would totally apply, but I would be such a proud Mother Hen if one of our loyal Stacks readers were chosen! Then I could tell the world on Ink Splot 26 all the amazing things YOU are doing as a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

What is the Kids Press Corps? It is a group of kid reporters nationwide who are selected by Scholastic to blog about their interests and report about the news that kids care about. They are real news reporters who go to live events to get the scoop and then write their stories. Some of their assignments include:

• Interviews with popular authors
• Book reviews
• Red carpet premieres
• Behind the scenes reports
• Interviews with politicians, actors, musicians and artists

For more about what they do, check out the Scholastic Kids Press Corps website. Just so you know, it's not all glitterati and parties. There is a lot of work involved too! To hear what life is really like for a kid reporter, read the Kids Press Corps blog.

How do I apply? 25 kids ages 10-14 will be chosen for 2009-2010 school year. The deadline to apply is October 5, 2009, but you have to send a few writing samples so don't wait until the last minute! All the application details can be found here. 

Good luck!!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Harry Potter Movie Premiere!

Can you imagine being the luckiest person in the world? Well, Scholastic  Kid Reporter, Danielle Azzolina can. The sixth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will open in theaters nationwide on July 15 (with a PG rating), but the New York City premiere was on July 9 and she was there to interview the actors on the red carpet! 

Can you imagine?! There were tons of reporters and fans screaming for their attention, but Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and other actors in the movie all stopped to talk to Danielle and answer her questions. To find out what they had to say about their roles in Half-Blood Prince, read her article. Apparently, Daniel was especially nice.

Danielle also got to speak with the Director David Yates, and ask him which scene had the most bloopers:

“There's a scene right at the beginning of the movie where we get Daniel, Rupert, and Emma sitting in the Burrow talking about how old Dumbledore is,” he said. “I can't tell you how many bloopers we got in that scene because they kept cracking up. I had to send them off the set for a while!”

I can't wait to see the actual scene! I can't wait to see the whole movie! In the meantime, I can watch this video sneak peek (over and over again):

For more on her amazing experience at the New York City premiere, read Danielle's post on the Scholastic Kids Press Corps blog. And also check out the Scholastic Kids Press Corp site to find out what else those lucky kids have been doing!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

PHOTOS: Scholastic Kid Reporter Danielle Azzolina interviews Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, stars of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at the movie premiere in New York City. (Photos Courtesy of Scholastic Kids Press Corps)

Selena Gomez on the Princess Protection Program

Tomorrow (June 26th) is the premiere of Princess Protection Program on the Disney Channel! Here's the scoop:

Princess Rosalinda is about to become the Queen of Costa Luna when her country was invaded by an evil dictator. In order to protect her, she is placed in the Princess Protection Program to keep her identity hidden. Now known as Rosie, she moves in with Carter's family in rural Louisiana. Carter teaches Rosie how to act like a normal American teenager, and Rosie teaches Carter how to be a princess.

Did you know that Rosie and Carter are friends in real life though? Yep, you may recognize these famous BFFs — Demi Lovato (Sunny with a Chance) slips into Rosalinda's royal slippers, and Carter's sneakers are filled by Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place). Read our exclusive interview with Selena and see what it's like to be best friends with your co-star — plus some inside dish on her upcoming album and how she deals with all the craziness that comes with fame!

Was it fun working with Demi on Princess Protection Program? Were there any pros and cons of working with a really good friend?
Selena: I really don't think I could find anything that was wrong with working with Demi. We've known each other for almost 10 years now, so there isn't really anything we can surprise each other with. It is kind of odd trying to pretend like I don’t know who this person is in the movie, in the beginning, so that was fun. Being able to work with someone you're comfortable with is always nice because it’s not the awkward, "Hi, nice to meet you. We have to pretend to be best friends." So all the stuff that's genuine in the movie is actual.

Does the friendship in the movie mirror real life?
Selena: Yeah, I think the parts where we're laughing and being goofballs is absolutely one hundred percent us. Half the time, they’d keep the cameras rolling because we’d keep going and going and sit there and talk and laugh until we couldn’t breathe anymore. It was pretty much all genuine.

In terms of the casting, are you similar to Carter and was Demi similar to Rosalinda?
Selena: Yes. Demi grew up in pageants, so back home in Texas, she was always poised and grew up that way. And I was a tomboy growing up. So it was back to our childhoods just for a little bit while we were shooting the movie.

How did you guys first meet?
Selena: In line, auditioning for Barney. We were in line with 1,400 kids, and she asked me to color with her, and I sat down on the ground and colored with her. We ended up booking the series together. Ten years later, we're working for the same network, and we're getting to grow and go through all of this together.

Has your friendship with Demi ever been tested?

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.

BE BIG in Your Community!

Hey, guys! Just wanted to give you a quick BE BIG! Update: A few weeks ago, I told you about our BE BIG in Your Community Contest. Well, the contest is going strong with over 130 entries and you still have a month left to enter YOUR Big Idea on how you can make a difference in your community.

If you're having trouble thinking of a great idea, check out an article I found about a kid doing BIG things by helping out in his own community that may help inspire you! The 13-year old in the article (Alex) started volunteering at a company in his community that collects medical supplies for needy countries in Africa. When Alex's supervisor mentioned that one of her contacts in Malawi had expressed an interest in getting some athletic equipment, Alex had an idea for how to help. It was the fall, when Alex, a soccer player, and all his friends realize that their old cleats are now too small, or when younger kids realize they need larger soccer balls. Usually that old equipment sits around until someone eventually throws it away. But Alex had had another destination in mind for that gear. He had a BIG Idea that all that old, unused equipment could go to those kids in the poor communities that his supervisor had mentioned. So Alex, along with about 50 friends, collected that old soccer equipment from the bottom of their closets and got it ready to ship to Africa. For more on Alex, read the full article here.

Alex's idea started small, with just an email to some friends—and now he's helping kids in Africa get out, be active, and play soccer! Your Idea doesn't have to be as BIG as Alex's to make a difference; it can be something small right in your community! Enter your Idea here by June 26th and tell us how YOU plan to make a small difference and BE BIG!

—Julia, from the BE BIG team

Catching "Fire" Fever at Book Expo America in NYC

Last week I took a day off from my regular duties as video booktalk host on Bookwink.com to go to the Book Expo in New York City. It was a huge huge huge conference for book people, and when I heard that Scholastic was giving away advance review copies of the sequel to The Hunger Games (a book for ages 12 and up), I knew I had to be there!

Well, I don't know what time people woke up to get tickets for the Suzanne Collins autograph line. I suspect some people camped out at the Javits Center overnight. Sadly, I was not one of them and by the time I arrived at 10 a.m. the ticket booth was deserted with tumbleweeds rolling across the empty floor. So I didn't get an autographed copy of Catching Fire (for ages 12 and up), but I did score a regular copy, which still made me jump up and down with glee!

I was curious to meet the lucky ones who did get a ticket, so I wandered over to the autograph area just before it opened. The line stretched back across the room at least 100 feet!

First in line was David, a 13-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland. I asked David why he is such a Hunger Games fan. He said, "It is a very neat story. The characters are very vivid, and the idea of the games is very fun. No, fun is not the right word. Interesting."  Yeah, competing in the Hunger Games isn't my idea of fun either, but definitely interesting to read about!

Jen Cheng who works at Harvard Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts likes The Hunger Games because it is "so action packed and has a kick-butt girl character, not like Bella." Oooh she just dissed Twilight! But it is kind of true. I mean, I love Stephenie Meyer's YA series, but Katniss is one tough girl who could totally survive on her own in any situation, and Bella. . . well . . . couldn't.

Check out some pictures from the event, and get excited!

          

           

 

Click photo thumbnails to see larger

UPDATE: 8/25 Catching Fire will be available for sale on 9/1, but you can take a sneak peak at the first two chapters here.

— Sonja, reporting as The Splot's eyes and ears at Book Expo America

Book Flap: American Girl, Black Belt Club, & More

Welcome to the second edition of Book Flap, your every-other-week splot for all the hottest happenings in the world of books. All summer long, Fridays on Ink Splot will be chock-full of awesome, so make sure you check back every week: we've got more Book Flap alternating with POP-Corn (all the entertainment and celeb news you can sink your teeth into). It's all part of our first Summer on The Splot!

Meet the New American Girl: Rebecca Rubin

 Last December, I was crushed to find out they were retiring my favorite American Girl doll: Samantha Parkington, the rich orphan from 1904, who lived with her grandmother and was friends with the factory worker/servant girl next door. Well, now that I'm an adult, I have the means to right all the failed birthday presents from my parents growing up, so I immediately had to go buy Samantha for myself before she was gone forever. I thought that would be it.

But now there's a new girl in the American Girl ranks. On May 31st, Rebecca Rubin joined Kaya, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Kid, Molly, and Julie as the newest historical doll in the American Girl collection. Rebecca is 9 years old in 1914, when her story is set (fun fact: all the dolls are from years that end in 4).

Rebecca lives on New York City's Lower East Side with her siblings and Russian-Jewish immigrant parents and grandma, who is called Bubbie (the Yiddish word for Grandmother). Rebecca loves movies and wants to be an actress, but her parents don't approve. The books that accompany the doll deal with Rebecca balancing her dreams with the cultural and religious values of her family. The six books in Rebecca's story arc are written by Jacqueline Dembar Greene.

The Black Belt Club to Become a Cartoon

For all the boys out there who couldn't care less about dolls, here's something for you: The Black Belt Club series by real-life third-degree black belt Dawn Barnes is being made into an animated TV show!

The book series straddles the divide between traditional books and comics, with illustrations by Bernard Chang on virtually every page. The story follows four karate students — Max, Maia, Antonio, and Jamie — who are invited to be part of an elite group (surprise, surprise, it's called the Black Belt Club). Together, they are transported to a magical land filled with mythical heroes and monsters, but it's the Black Belt Club who are charged with saving the day.

On board to work on the show is John Drdek, a writer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Yu-Gi-Oh!, plus the animation production studio Curious Pictures, who did Codename: Kids Next Door. The show will be hitting airwaves in 2010, at the same time the 4th book hits stores. In the meantime, you can get ready by checking out The Black Belt Club website and the first three books: #1: Seven Wheels of Power, #2: Night on the Mountain of Fear, and #3: Beware of the Haunted Eye.

Book Expo America

Last weekend was Book Expo America, a huge yearly gathering where authors, publishers, librarians, and anyone who has anything to do with books congregate in New York City to meet up and talk about what's coming up this year. I wasn't there (*tear*), but I've been following along, and two big items of children's book news caught my attention . . .

First, book-game-online-reading-writing-participating-multimedia extravaganzas are the way of the future. As all you Splot readers know, The 39 Clues is the first of this kind. In the ten-book series, you can follow the adventures of Amy and Dan Cahill as they search for the secret behind their family's power. And just this past Tuesday (June 2nd), the fourth book in the series, Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson, came out. After reading the books (or before, it doesn't actually matter), you can go on The39Clues.com and join the hunt yourself.