How to be an interesting character
By Morgan on May 17th, 2012
Last week I came across this infographic from Forbes, How To Be More Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps). It’s great advice for anyone — go exploring. Embrace your innate weirdness. Have a cause. And I thought — this is all true for people, so it must be true for literary characters, too.
So I’ve matched up each step with an example of a fictional character who meets the criteria. Take a look:
1. Go exploring. Amy and Dan Cahill explored the world looking for their family’s secrets, and their stories, told through The 39 Clues, are the types of stories they’ll be able to tell their grandkids. Don’t you want something cool to tell your grandkids, too?
2. Share what you discover. Everyone loves a good storyteller, and everyone wants to be part of the action. In Dear Dumb Diary, Jamie Kelly shares everything about her day. And we’re better off for it!
3. Do something. Anything. Fall in love with dance, like Jessi Ramsay in The Baby-sitters Club. Learn how to ride horses, like the girls of Canterbury Crest. Take up baking, like Alice in Pie. Picking up hobbies makes you interesting!
4. Embrace your innate weirdness. Everybody’s weird. There, I said it. So why not give up the ghost and embrace your particular type of weirdness? One could argue that being a wizard is weird…but we all know of a little boy wizard who learned to embrace that part of himself which, in turn, made him the hero he turned out to be.
5. Have a cause. Speaking of Harry Potter, remember Hermione’s campaign to free house elves? Having a cause like S.P.E.W. to champion helped her realize what was important to her and develop her character. It also helped her stand out from the crowd.
A roundup of news about the Common Core
By Tyler on May 16th, 2012
This is one in a series of posts examining the Common Core State Standards and the conversation surrounding their impact on teaching and learning. Here are a couple news items to be aware of if, like me, you’re following coverage of the Commonmore… full post
Are you what you read?
By Morgan on May 15th, 2012
In 2010, Scholastic launched You Are What You Read, an online book community where people decide which five books most influenced their lives and then connect with others who share the same books. So it’s probably pretty obvious that we’ve alwaysmore… full post
Books with a sense of adventure, in honor of Lewis and Clark
By Megan on May 14th, 2012
208 years ago today, Lewis and Clark set out on their ”Corps of Discovery Expedition” up the great Missouri River. Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, the two fearless travelers began their two-year journey, which was to become the firstmore… full post
What do you think about independent reading?
By Guest Blogger on May 14th, 2012
Dana Truby is back with a guest post, and a burning question: what are your thoughts on independent reading? Read on! If you peeked into an elementary classroom and saw the kids sitting on the floor, laying on the rug, and curled up in cornersmore… full post
“Outstanding Educators” help struggling students succeed
By Alex on May 14th, 2012
Here at Scholastic we work with a lot of amazing teachers—everyday I find myself inspired by the passion educators have for their students and their success. So I was beyond thrilled when I was able to help select the 2012 READ 180 and System 44more… full post
Teachers are seeing more homelessness and poverty amongst their students
By Anne on May 14th, 2012
I know, it is a heavy title for a blog post first thing on Monday but the facts ring true. According to Primary Sources 2012: America’s Teachers on the Teaching Profession, veteran teachers are seeing increasingly more students in their classroomsmore… full post
In Our Feeds: Newspaper fashion, how to be more interesting, and Maurice Sendak
By Nadia on May 11th, 2012
Each Friday, we share a handful of links we found interesting, provocative, funny — or just plain cool. We call it In Our Feeds. Have a good weekend! Summer is on its way, and so it the prom. Alex found this great story about students usingmore… full post
Books that make us think of Mom
By Jessica on May 11th, 2012
As Mother’s Day rapidly approaches, I can’t help but think about growing up with my mom. Whenever I think of her, the first thing I think about it all of the books she used to read to my sister and me. There were many books, usually aftermore… full post
FREE apps to keep students learning all summer
By Alex on May 10th, 2012
When students don’t read over the summer, teachers typically need 4 to 6 weeks in the fall to re-teach material students have forgotten! As this school year comes to a close Scholastic has released a number of apps that will help students retainmore… full post
