Just a Dog

Just a Dog by Michael Gerard Bauer

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He's more than just a dog! Mister Mosely is a special dog. Not just because he's so big or because he has a heart-shaped splotch on his chest. It's because he seems to know exactly what everyone in Corey's family needs, even when they don't know themselves. If you have a dog, you know how a dog can become the glue that holds a family together. That's exactly what happens with Mister Mosely and Corey's family!

Read chapter one and find out how Mister Mosely isn't "just a dog."

Does your family have a pet? If so, do you consider it part of the family? Let us know in the Comments! And if you don't have a pet, what animal would you want?

—Vanessa, Scholastic Staffer

A Dog and His Girl Mysteries: Play Dead

A Dog and his Girl Mysteries Book #1: Play Dead by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens

"Ah. I loved it under the table. I was hard to see there. I was nearly invisible. Undercover. Not an easy thing to pull off when you’re a ninety-pound German shepherd."

Dodge, though retired from his job as a police dog, never lets go of a case once he sniffs one out. Good thing his girl Cassie (the Police Chief's daughter) has a similar sense of smell. The dynamic duo believes there's something fishy going on when the town's richest man disappears after swimming near the dangerous Tempest Point.

No one seemed to care about the grumpy old man until he went missing. The problem is there was no will. Now, suddenly, the town mayor, the housekeeper, a supposed fiancée, and an unheard-of twin all claim the right to the Ward estate. Can Dodge and Cassie solve this inheritance riddle?

Told from both Cassie's and Dodge's point of view, the reader of this book can't help but get caught up in the thrill of the chase. Play Dead is the first in a series recommended to dog lovers and mystery lovers alike, so keep your noses ready for action! And don't forget to share your notes in the Comments!

—Elysse, STACKS Writer

New Harry Potter Covers?!!

New Harry Potter Covers

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Scholastic has unveiled the first of 7 all-new book covers illustrated by Amulet artist Kazu Kibuishi.

Kibuishi is a longtime Harry Potter fan who called this opportunity, "more than a little surreal. The Harry Potter covers by Mary GrandPré are so fantastic and iconic," he says. "When I was asked to submit samples, I initially hesitated because I didn't want to see them reinterpreted! . . . As an author myself, I tried to answer the question, 'If I were the author of the books - and they were like my own children - how would I want them to be seen years from now?'"  

Well, here is the answer to that question for Book #1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

All 7 new covers will appear on U.S. paperback editions coming in September 2013 and will depict a "distinctive and memorable moment" from each book. This one obviously depicts Harry Potter's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid.

We are curious to hear what you think should appear on the covers of Books #2-7. Leave your most distinctive and memorable moments from each book in the Comments. And tell us what you think of the new cover for Book #1! Personally, after my first reaction (which was a loud gasp!) I can now say that I LOVE it!!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Cover art by Mary GrandPré c 1998, and Kazu Kibuishi c 2013

Valentine's Day Confessions from Confectionately Yours

Valentine's Day Confessions from Confectionately Yours

Do you look forward to the "love"-liest day of the year? Or does all of that pink and red make you want to puke? According to Hayley Hicks, star of the Confectionately Yours series, sometimes it can be a little bit of both.

Confession: I Love Valentine’s Day! (Except For When I Hate It)

In second grade, Carrie Conway showed up in class with a GIANT pink heart-shaped box topped with a rose. The box was filled with chocolates, and it was from her father, and Carrie didn’t share any of it. She just kept taking the box out of her desk and looking at it, and smiling, and then putting it back in her desk, and I just KNEW that she was going to go home and eat that candy and smile at that beautiful box forever! And that was when I started hating Valentine’s Day. I admit it. It turned into annual Envy Day for me.

I told my friend Meghan this story at lunch yesterday, and she said, “Hayley, you’re looking at it all wrong! It’s better to give than to receive!”

Hearing that TOTALLY turned the whole thing around for me. I love to make my friends smile—and that’s what I’m going to do. So I’m baking some red velvet cupcakes with pink white-chocolate frosting, and dropping a little candy heart on top. If baking isn’t your thing, you could write funny poems, hand out candy, or write a little friendship note and fold it into an origami heart. (You can find origami instructions online.) Also — everyone likes a heart-shaped box of chocolates. ;-)

So I’m going into this Valentine’s Day with a whole new attitude! What are you planning for your friends?

Read Hayley’s Back-to-School Confessions here.

Read the first chapter from Sugar and Spice, the latest book in Lisa Papademetriou’s Confectionately Yours series! 

--Vanessa, Scholastic Staffer

Shadow Breakers Book Review

Shadow Breakers by Daniel Blythe

A year after her father's death, Miranda May finds herself in the tiny coastal town of Firecroft Bay, but things are not going well. Her sleep is disrupted by nightmares of "The Shape," an ominous shadow that calls out to her, "ring around the rosie. . . " Freaky! Her mother is too busy working and taking care of her baby brother to notice Miranda's behavior becoming more erratic. Why Miranda, and why this song?

Then things get really weird. On the way to school, ice appears out of nowhere and coats the interior and exterior of the bus. Then the computers in the lab explode. Miranda thinks she knows where she can get answers. Her science teacher, Miss Bellini, and four of the brightest students at her school, have formed a group that want to figure out the truth just as much as Miranda does. Lyssa, Cal, Josh, and Ollie use a mixture of science and technology to hunt down this mysterious apparition that is causing havoc, dragging Miranda along for the ride.

Is Miranda going crazy, or is something really strange going on in Firecroft Bay? Find out in Daniel Blythe's thrilling new book Shadow Breakers, and leave a Comment to let us know what you think!

—Elysse, STACKS Writer

Game Changers Book #2 by Mike Lupica

Game Changers Book #2: Play Makers by Mike Lupica

Attention, sports fans! For those of you who love a good sports story, the latest book in Mike Lupica's Game Changers series is out now! It's called Play Makers.

Ben McBain and his friends are still riding high after winning their football championship, but basketball season isn’t going as smoothly, especially when their cross-town rival, Chase Braggs, starts causing trouble on AND off the court.

Read an excerpt.

Head over to the STACKS Sports site to play the new Game Changers basketball game! How many shots can you make?  

-- Vanessa, Scholastic Staffer

January Books of the Month

January Books of the Month

The Books of the Month series continues! Here's how it works. You write the titles of the books you are reading right now, and I make a word cloud out of all your recommendations. So here they are! YOUR January book recommendations in Wordle-y wonderfulness! The more votes a title gets, the bigger the print. This month's winner looks like Harry Potter.

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 February, I will make a new word cloud of all our reads for the whole month. 

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

The 2013 Newbery Winner is. . .

2013 Newbery Medal Winner

The Newbery Medal is awarded every year by a committee of librarians to recognize "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Past winners have included The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Holes by Louis Sachar. Last year's winner was Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.

This year's winner was just announced today, and the 2013 Newbery Medal goes to . . . The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.

Have you read it yet? Do YOU think it was the best American book published in 2012? If you were on the committee voting for the 2013 Newbery Medal, which book would YOU have chosen? (Remember, only books published in 2012 by writers in America are eligible.) Let us know in the Comments.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

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UPDATE: Congratulations also to the Newbery Honor Books for 2013: Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, and Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Shlitz. All amazing books too!

The Encyclopedia of Me Book Review

The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers  

The Encyclopedia of Me is unlike any encyclopedia you've ever read before! . . . that is, if you've ever tried to read one. This is an encyclopedia that never stops entertaining. 

The main character, Tink, is bit of an oddball, but she is totally relatable. Tink is not used to being in the spotlight. Actually, she tends to be on the fringe of all the action (unless it’s the receiving end of a bullying encounter). Her best friend, Freddie Blue, is tall, blonde, funny, and amazing in every way. Tink is short, biracial, and has freckles. She also has twin older brothers, Lex and Seb. Seb is autistic, which she doesn’t want to talk about. But sometimes his disorder prevents Tink's voice from being heard.

Then "Blue-Haired Boy Who Just Moved in Next Door, The" (a.k.a. Kai) skates into her life. That was the day everything changed. Suddenly, Tink and Freddie Blue start drifting apart. Seb's autism starts to have more of an impact on her everyday life, in both positive and negative ways. And why has she become obsessed with boarding all of a sudden?

If you have ever found yourself in a similar situation to Tink's summer saga, tell us about it in the Comments! Or, write us an encyclopedia entry! ;-)

—Elysse, STACKS Writer

The Dogs of Winter Book Review

The Dogs of Winter By Bobbie Pyron

There is a saying that goes, "Dogs are a man's best friend." For 5-year-old Ivan Andreovich, his dogs mean so much more than that.

In the wake of his grandmother's death, his mother's disappearance, and an abusive man's attempt to throw him into an orphanage, Ivan escapes to the streets of Moscow. He quickly joins a gang of children, only to find out that he is the opposite of "street smart." They push and bully him into doing things that he knows are not right, but what choice does he have in order to endure the cold winter?

Then, Ivan comes across a dog named Lucky. Lucky leads him to his pack, and they start to share a mutual relationship of helping each other survive. Why would he leave humans to go live with a pack of dogs? Ivan says, "I was better off with the dogs. They loved and protected me." But is he truly better off with his pack, or at an orphanage among abused and underfed children who are his own kind?

Through the innocent eyes of a child, we learn about love, life, death, and a bond that can never be broken. Based on the true story of Ivan Mishukov, Bobbie Pyron captures both the horrors and rays of sunlight that were the essence of life on the streets of Russia.

—Elysse, STACKS Writer

Deltora Scavenger Hunt Answers

Deltora Scavenger Hunt Answers

If you're into magic and monsters, good vs. evil, and just plain good fantasy, chances are you will love the Deltora books. And chances are you did our Deltora Scavenger Hunt last week. And chances are we've got the answers below!  

Hideout by Gordan Korman Book Review

Hideout by Gordon Korman 

Gordon Korman's new book Hideout features the return of the ultimate bad-guy, Wendell Palomino (also known as “Swindle” to Griffin and his gang of friends). In this 5th installment of the Swindle series, Swindle returns for the valuable Doberman Luthor, and threatens to exact revenge on the six teenagers who ran him out of town.

Somehow, the devious Swindle makes the documentation of Luthor’s adoption by Savannah disappear. She’s now faced with a court order to turn her dog over to the low-life man, which will only happen over her dead body! The kids, in an effort to outsmart the court order, shuffle the dog from summer camp to summer camp, only to find new and increasingly more challenging obstacles in their way.

Luthor only behaves for Savannah; which is an issue whenever she’s not around. Also, it’s a little hard to sneak around a 150-pound dog when people are watching your every move. To make matters worse, it’s as if Swindle predicts their every move – and with unknown henchmen sent to do Swindle’s dirty work, the kids must be wary of every adult they meet.

Can Griffin (a.k.a. The Man With The Plan), Ben (his narcoleptic best friend), Logan (the actor), Pitch (the climber), Savannah (the animal whisperer), and Melissa (the computer genius) be able to stop Swindle’s greedy paws from stealing the ferociously loved pooch? Read the book and find out! 

Watch the Hideout trailer.
Read chapter 1 of Hideout.

Are you a fan of the Swindle series? Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the gang’s latest adventure in the Comments.

—Elysse, STACKS Writer