What do you get when you mix David Baldacci, The 39 Clues, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History? One amazing virtual field trip!

Today we announced that bestselling author David Baldacci will lead a free virtual field trip to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.! “Decoding History” will air on March 5, 2013 at 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT, and will explore some of American history’s greatest mysteries.

The best part? The virtual field trip will be globally accessible for free on www.scholastic.com/decodinghistory. Classrooms everywhere can participate, getting behind-the-scenes tours and insights into some of the most fascinating artifacts in the Smithsonian’s national collections:

• The Lewis and Clark compass? (an object that is featured in Baldacci’s 39 Clues book) Check!
• Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch? Check!
• The Star-Spangled Banner? Check!

If you join this virtual field trip you’ll also get to meet renowned museum curators (who, let’s face it, have pretty awesome jobs) and explore some of the most mysterious moments and intriguing questions in American history. (Just who was it that left a secret message in Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch?) And, calling all teachers: the contents of the webcast will help you address the “Speaking & Listening” Common Core Standards for English/Language Arts.

The webcast coincides with the publication of David Baldacci’s new book for young readers, The 39 Clues®: Cahills vs. Vespers: Day of Doom, the latest title in the bestselling and educational Scholastic series, The 39 Clues™. Publishers Weekly has more information, and so too does School Library Journal.

We are so psyched for this virtual field trip. Register here and join us!