By: Lizzie Powers - Scholastic Book Clubs
Fall has officially arrived in NYC, and with it comes a new selection of titles from the Scholastic Book Clubs October flyers.
To help busy teachers find great books for their classroom libraries—especially in the beginning months of the school year—the Book Boys are live again on Facebook presenting their top picks for October.
Featured in Inchworm:
Duck & Goose Honk! Quack! Boo! by Tad Hills
Catch up with Duck and Goose as they prepare to trick-or-treat. They’re all dressed up and ready to go…until they see a spooky swamp monster! This fun Halloween tale is full of giggles and laughs for your students.
Featured in Firefly:
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
An endearing friendship story of a little boy who adores his pet elephant, yet isn’t allowed to showcase it at the neighborhood Pet Club. Share this beautifully illustrated and lyrical story to teach the importance of acceptance while celebrating the joy of having a pet.
Featured in SeeSaw:
Frankencrayon by Michael Hall
From New York Times bestselling author Michael Hall comes this colorful and funny companion book to Red: A Crayon’s Story. The crayons prepare to tell the thrilling tale of Frankencrayon, until something awful happens—someone has scribbled on the page! These crayons clearly have their share of problems, but this sweet and funny story helps teach that there are many ways to find solutions.
Featured in Lucky:
Boxcar Children #1: Journey on a Runaway Trainby Gertrude Warner
The classic Boxcar Children series gets a revamp after 20 years with a brand-new special miniseries called Boxcar Children: Great Adventure. Follow the Aldens through their assigned journeys to find and return lost artifacts and treasures to their true owner.
Featured in Arrow:
The Last Kids on Earth and he Nightmare King by Max Brallier
New in hardcover! Life after the zombie apocalypse sounds terrifying to most people, but not to 13-year-old Jack Sullivan. In the third book of the series, an Earth-devouring ancient hunts Jack and his friends! As Jack tries to fight against impending evil, he also faces new challenges in keeping his friends. Will Jack’s bonds of friendship endure the chaos?
Featured in TAB:
This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang
A boy named David Da-Wei Horowitz attempts to navigate middle school, but there’s a hitch: his two grandmothers are Jewish and Chinese, and they couldn’t be any more different. David struggles to reconcile his multicultural heritage while finding the balance between pleasing others (like his grandmothers) and himself. This book is a great choice for middle schoolers who might enjoy the humorous and endearing sides of normal family tensions.
Featured in Teens:
Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
From the author of All American Boys comes Reynolds’s next book, Miles Morales: Spider-Man. This is a must-read for any Spider-Man fan. In this remake, meet Miles, an average teenager living in Brooklyn with his parents. He’s a pretty normal kid: has great friends, likes to play video games, and even has a scholarship to the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. But he’s also Spider-Man. In this story, his on-the-fritz Spidey senses get him into lots of trouble at school and at home.
Featured in Club Leo:
Marta! Big & Small by Jen Arena
This adorable picture book chronicles the story of una niña Marta, an ordinary girl with extraordinary animal friends. Kids will love to listen aloud to Marta’s adventures in the jungle. Marta meets and learns about all kinds of curious creatures along the way. Students will also learn some simple Spanish vocabulary words!
Featured in Discover Your World for Early Childhood:
Walter’s Wonderful Web: A First Book About Shapes by Tim Hopgood
The third title from Tim Hopgood works as a companion to his other two books that teach kids about colors and senses. In this book, Walter the spider must figure out how to spin the best and strongest web to withstand the wind. Like the spider, kids can explore how shapes are truly all around us.
Featured in Just-Right Reading :
Swing It, Sunnyby Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matthew Holm
It’s the mid-1970s and Sunny Lewin is facing the start of her personal show, the prospect of middle school, and the problems of her somewhat dysfunctional family—particularly her older brother, Dale, who has been sent off to a military academy because of his delinquent behavior.
Featured in We Need Diverse Books for Grades PreK–2:
City Shapes by Diana Murray, illustrated by Bryan Collier
Hunt for shapes in this beautifully illustrated, lyrical picture book showcasing a cityscape of colors and extraordinary everyday happenings. Four-time Caldecott Honoree Bryan Collier’s signature artwork blooms vibrantly on the page throughout the journey inside this hustling, bustling city.
Featured in We Need Diverse Books for Grades 3–6:
The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi
A trio of daring friends from New York City step into a mechanical board game called The Gauntlet to rescue their lost friend and baby brother Ahmad. The troubles awaiting them include camel spiders, red scorpions, grease monkeys, and sand cats as they prepare to battle the game’s diabolical architect, Lord Amari. Can they survive the clockwork twist and turns that face them in this steampunk adventure akin to Jumanji with a Middle Eastern flair?
Featured in Thrills & Chills:
Mary McScary by R. L. Stine
Beware of Mary McScary. She scares everything in sight, including slimy snakes, wild gorillas, her dad at breakfast, and even a balloon! This beloved picture book from the master of scare is guaranteed to be a hit in younger classrooms this fall for Halloween. It’s a fun and spooky read-aloud. And even though Mary likes to be scary, she might not be quite as scary as she thinks!
