If the tricks don't get you, the treats will!

We've got your weekend plans covered: Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is now in theaters and is the perfect way to get the whole family ready for Halloween!

Check out the official trailer here:

And here's an exclusive behind-the-scenes look the film: 

And if you and your readers can't get enough Goosebumps, be sure to pick up the latest books in the SlappyWorld arc, The Ghost of Slappy! And be sure they play the brand new Goosebumps game, Slappy's Drop Dead House!

The fourth book in the Goosebumps SlappyWorld arc is available now, and we have an excerpt for you to start reading right here! SlappyWorld is the brand new Goosebumps arc narrated by the most iconic and evil character of the series, Slappy!

Here's a little bit about book four: Robby and his sister Karla beg their parents to take them to a big carnival that has opened on the other side of town. When they arrive, the two kids are delighted by the rides, the sideshow, the interesting displays, and the great food booths.
They wander away from their parents and find themselves at a less-trafficked area at the back of the carnival. Inside a large penned-in area, they see a dejected-looking boy about their age sitting on the grass. A sign on the tall metal fence reads: PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE WEIRDO.
The kids are reluctant to disobey the sign, but the boy seems really nice. Karla hands him her cone through the fence. He thanks her very politely. He eats the ice cream, delicately at first, then ravenously, noisily-and as Robby and Karla stare in horror, he transforms into a raging, hairy beast.

Start reading!

SLAPPY HERE, EVERYONE.

Welcome to SlappyWorld.

Yes, it’s Slappy’s world—You’re only screaming in it! Hahaha.

Readers Beware: Don’t call me a dummy, Dummy. I’m so smart, I can spell IQ forward and backward! Ha. I’m so bright, I use my own head as a nightlight!

I’m handsome, too. I’m so good-looking, when I look in a mirror, the mirror says, “Thank you!”

Hahaha.

I’m so handsome, I win an award just for waking up in the morning! Haha!

(I know that doesn’t make any sense. But, hey, slave, who’s going to be brave enough to tell me that?)

I’m generous, too. I like to share. I like to share scary stories to make you scream and shake all over. I don’t want to give you a nightmare,  slave.  I want your whole life to be a nightmare! Hahahaha!

Here’s a story that’s a real scream. It’s about a brother and sister named Jordan and Karla. They have a lot of fun at a carnival—until an ugly monster decides to have fun with them!

You’re not afraid of ugly monsters—are you? Then go ahead. Start the story. I call it Please Do Not Feed the Weirdo.

It’s just one more tale from SlappyWorld!

CHAPTER 1

I took a big bite of the fluffy blue candy. I could feel the powdery sugar stick to my face.

Karla pointed to the cone in my hand. “Jordan, you have a spider in your cotton candy,” she said. I let out a loud “ULLLLLLP!” and the cone went flying into the air. I watched it land with a soft plop onto the pavement.

Karla tossed back her head and laughed. “You’re too easy!”

Mom shook her head. “Karla, why are you always scaring your brother?”

She grinned. “Because it’s fun?”

Grumbling to myself, I bent down and picked the cotton candy off the ground. Some of the blue stuff stuck to my sneakers. I took another bite anyway.

Some kids like to be scared and some don’t. And I totally don’t. I saw the Tunnel of Fear up ahead, and I knew Karla would force me to go in there with her.

My name is Jordan Keppler, and I’m twelve, a year older than Karla. I  don’t  like  to  brag, but . . . I get better grades than Karla, and I’m better at sports than Karla, and I have more friends than Karla does.

So just because she likes scary things doesn’t make her any kind of big deal.

I looked all around. Carnival World was crowded because it was a beautiful spring night. I saw dozens of kids on the boardwalk, going from the game booths to the rides. And I knew a lot of them were walking right past the Tunnel of Fear because they were like me.

What’s the fun of screaming your head off, anyway?

I tossed my cotton candy cone in a trash can. “Where’s that ride with the swings that go really high?” I asked.

“You mean that baby ride in the kiddie park?” Karla said.

Dad leaned over and took a big bite of Karla’s cotton candy. “If you two want to go into the Tunnel of Fear, Mom and I will wait here,” he said.

“No thanks,” I said. “I’ll wait out here, too.”

Karla pressed her hands against her waist and tossed back her curly red hair. “Well, I’m not going in alone, Jerkface.”

“Don’t call your brother names,” Mom said.

“I didn’t,” Karla replied. “That is his name.” She thinks she’s so smart and funny.

“Don’t make your sister go in there alone,” Dad said. He put his hands on my shoulders. “Jordan, you’re not scared, are you?”

He knew I was scared. Why bother to ask? “Of course I’m not scared,” I said. “It’s just that . . . I ate all that cotton candy. I have to sit down and digest it.”

I know. I know. That was lame. You don’t have to tell me.

Karla grabbed my hand and tugged me hard toward the entrance. “Come on, Jordan. We don’t come to the carnival very often. We have to do everything.”

I turned back to Mom and Dad. They were both making shooing motions with their hands. They were no help at all.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Carnival World. I love the dart games and the corn dogs on a stick and the Ferris wheel and the Dunk-the-Clown water tank.

There are only two things I don’t love. The rollercoaster rides that make you go upside down. And the Tunnel of Fear. And somehow— thanks to my sister—I knew I had both of those in my near future.

Karla and I walked up the wooden ramp to the tunnel entrance. “See you later!” I heard Mom shout. “If you survive!”

Ha. She and Karla have the same sick sense of humor.

Purple and red lights flashed all around us, and I heard deep, evil laughter—horror-movie laughter—echoing inside the tunnel. And screams. Lots of shrill screams. I couldn’t tell if they were recorded or if they were from real people inside the ride.

Karla gave the young guy at the entrance two tickets, and he motioned us to the open cars. They were moving slowly along a track toward the dark cave opening where the ride began.

She pushed me into a car and slid in beside me. “This is so cool,” she gushed. “We should have brought a barf bag for you.”

Ha again.

“It’s all fake,” I said. “It’s all babyish scares. Too phony to be scary. Seriously.”

Wish I had been right about that.

---

Want more SlappyWorld? Check out the Goosebumps website here!

Things are getting spooky on our blog! Each week, we're sharing an excerpt of a book that is sure to help get you in the Halloween spirit. So far, we've shared sections from The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol and Shadow House Book 3: No Way Out by Dan Poblocki. This week, it's time for something from the Master of Fright himself, R.L. Stine. 

In this brand new line of Goosebumps books, Slappy the evil dummy comes to life to tell his own twisted tales and scary stories. Start reading from book 3, I Am Slappy's Evil Twin, right now:

SLAPPY HERE,  EVERYONE.

Welcome to My World.

Yes, it’s SlappyWorld—you’re only screaming in it! Hahaha.

Feeling lucky, slave? I’m lucky because I’m ME! Haha. I mean, what if I was YOU? I don’t even want to think about it!

I’m so good-looking, the mirror begs me not to leave every time I gaze into it. Ha. The only reason I’m not on a postage stamp is because no one can lick me! Hahaha.

Know what’s almost as awesome-looking as me? I don’t, either! Hahahaha.

I’m so awesome, I give myself goosebumps! Ha. And guess what? Today is your lucky day. Today you get two of me for the price of one.

Don’t thank me till you’ve read my story. Of course it’s a scary story. It’s about a boy named Luke Harrison. Luke lives in Hollywood, and his father makes horror movies.

Poor Luke. Before the story is over, Luke is living in a horror movie! He’s not only screaming for help—he’s seeing double! That’s because he has two living dummies in his house. Hahaha. Guess what? I may not be a good houseguest—but I tell a good, creepy story.

I call this one I Am Slapppy’s Evil Twin!

It’s just one more terrifying tale from SlappyWorld.

PROLOGUE 1920

Franz Mahar strokes his white beard and gazes down at the face of the puppet he is making. The glassy olive-green eyes stare up at him. The doll’s wooden face is still unpainted. The smooth lips are frozen in a pale grin.

From the open window of his workshop, Mahar hears the bleating of sheep. The farmers of the small village herd their flocks to the high pasture every morning. Then they bring the animals down as the afternoon sun begins to lower itself over the sloping hills.

The village stands eighty miles from the nearest large town. Nothing has changed in a hundred years. Cows and goats and pigs roam free. Mahar awakes to the sound of clucking chickens every morning.

Mahar raises a long needle and leans over the worktable. He begins sewing cuffs on the puppet’s stiff white shirt. His fingers tremble.

He is an old man now, with failing eyesight and unsteady hands. Once he had been a star of the London stage. He had created a ventriloquist dummy so lifelike, audiences were amazed. They filled theaters to see his act. He had fame and enough money to enjoy it.

But then, there had been trouble. He shared the stage with the magician Kanduu. With his swirling scarlet cape and his ability to make anything appear or disappear, Kanduu was also a star.

They became friends. Mahar trusted Kanduu. He didn’t realize—until too late—that Kanduu’s magic came from a dark place. Kanduu was a sorcerer.

He could cast spells, and his spells were always evil. He could control people. He could make them say and do things they didn’t want to do.

Mahar learned a lot of magic from Kanduu. He didn’t realize that Kanduu had an evil side. Until one day backstage when Mahar was about to begin his act.

He opened the long black case in which he kept Mr. Wood, his dummy. He bent down and began to lift the dummy from the case.

“Oww!” Mahar cried out as the dummy’s wooden hand swung up and punched him hard in the chin.

“Keep your hands off me!” Mr. Wood shouted. Mahar stood there, staring in shock at him, rubbing the pain from his jaw.

“I’m  pulling  the  strings  from  now  on!”  the dummy declared. He swung his wooden fist again and caught Mahar on the shoulder.

Backing away, Mahar realized what had happened. Kanduu had enchanted the dummy. Kanduu had poured his evil magic into Mahar’s creation. Mr. Wood was alive.

Terrified, Mahar slammed the case shut. He left it on the stage. He never wanted to see that dummy again. He packed a bag and sailed for the United States.

Mahar was desperate to flee, to leave the evil dummy behind. He hid away in this tiny farm village and built a small cottage and a workshop. He lived quietly, alone. He made no friends.

He built his only friends. The puppets and dolls he created in his workshop were works of art. His hands gently carved their wooden heads and hands. He painted their faces. He sewed their costumes.

He gave them personalities. He did puppet shows and ventriloquist acts for himself. And once in a while, he used the magic he had learned from Kanduu. Some nights, he brought his puppets and dummies to life. He did it out of loneliness. He needed someone to talk to.

So today—while the sheep bleat and the chickens cluck outside his window—Mahar puts the final touches on his latest creation.

He finishes coloring the dummy’s cheeks with gentle strokes of a small brush.

“You are made from the finest hardwood,” he tells the dummy. “And I have used the powers I learned to give you life.”

On its back on the worktable, the dummy blinks its glassy eyes.

“You will obey me at all times,” Mahar says, pulling it up to a sitting position. He ties the dummy’s polished brown shoes.

“The magic I have poured into you can be dangerous. You must stay under my control. You must not follow any angry or cruel thoughts.”

The dummy blinks again. Does it understand Mahar’s words?

Mahar has more instructions for his creation. But he is interrupted by a knocking on the wooden cottage door.

He jumps in surprise. “Who is pounding on my door so violently?”

It sounds like more than one fist beating at the door, hard enough to break it open.

“I’m coming. I’m coming,” Mahar  murmurs. He sets the dummy onto its back on the worktable.

Then he wipes his aged hands on the sides of his overalls and limps to the door. He pulls it open slowly—and utters a loud gasp.

The entire village?

Mahar’s eyes blur as he sweeps his gaze over the grim-faced men and women. At least two dozen of them. His legs begin to tremble. He tries to focus. Some of them carry torches. The men standing at the front of the group carry pistols.

Mahar feels his throat tighten. He begins to choke.

Finally, he finds his voice. “What do you want? Why are you here? What are you going to do?”

If you've ever trick-or-treated or greeted trick-or-treaters at your door, then you remember UNICEF's little orange boxes. In October, UNICEF provides children with these orange boxes so they can collect change as they trick-or-treat. The money then goes to help kids affected by global emergencies in a variety of ways. (There's a helpful guide on the back of each box to see how UNICEF plans to distribute these funds.)

This year, we are excited to announce that Scholastic is teaming up with UNICEF and featuring a classic Goosebumps character on the orange box, Slappy the Dummy! Even Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine couldn't hide his excitement and took to Twitter to share the news.

Is it true? Slappy is on the UNICEF box??!https://t.co/P9UUxJE825

— R.L. Stine (@RL_Stine) October 11, 2017

Check out this short video from UNICEF featuring Slappy!

You can learn more about how kids can #BeScaryGood (and how you can request a box of your own, or boxes for a classroom!) by visiting trickortreatforunicef.org. The website also features a daily treat for each day in October. And that’s not all – if teachers order a class kit, they can also sign up for a chance to to win a classroom set of Goosebumps books!

And without further ado... here is the box!

As a book lover, I faced a major conundrum: I never liked to read aloud in class or at home.

I was embarrassed. Every time I reviewed my homework or read something as simple as a TV Guide listing aloud to my family, I noticed that I accidentally skipped words or even found difficulty pronouncing a word I "knew," but I just could not get it right out loud. My mom began to notice this as well. She saw me devour book after book silently, but I would freeze if she asked me to read a passage. My usual response was "oh, this part is boring" or - my personal favorite - "my eyes are hurting now. I am going to take a break." My mom was hip to my reluctance - and then she took action. At back-to-school night, my mom got a lifeline from my teacher when she handed my mom the latest Scholastic Book Club flyer. 

That evening I anxiously awaited to hear what my teacher said about me. Did she like me? Did she not appreciate my impression of her on the playground two days before? Luckily, I was greeted by my mom with the latest issue of "Lucky" and asked me to sit down and, "circle five books that I would like to read for fun, but on the condition that we needed to read it aloud together." 

Flash-forward to a few months later. Thanks to these flyers, this became a monthly tradition of choosing an assortment of titles - from The Magic School Bus to Goosebumps to The Stinky Cheese Man... - and setting aside time to read aloud with my mom after a long day. Her efforts helped me become a more confident reader in grade school.

My mom discovered something that many parents should know today: recent research from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report shows that 87% of kids ages 0-17 and 82% of their parents love(d) or like(d) read-aloud time as families say it's a "special time together" and it's "fun." This special bonding time helped my mother see what was tripping me up when I read aloud. I also found solace in reading aloud time, as I grew up in a single-parent household. Time was precious for all of us and, ultimately, provided me a sense of empowerment.

Even today, whenever I review an email at work or a blog post at home, I freeze if I need to it out loud. I just take a breath and channel my 8-year-old self sitting at the kitchen table with the latest Book Clubs paperback and recall my mom's mantra: "read slowly, thoughtfully and confidently." 

Recalling this memory is rather surreal for me today as I work very closely with Scholastic Book Clubs as part of my daily job. I still get that thrill when I see that flyer get passed around the office. 

I guess my journey did come to "full circle" after all with those flyers! Thanks to Scholastic Book Clubs - and mom's tireless efforts - I can confidently say that I now love to read aloud.

Last week, we released the 43rd episode of the Scholastic Reads podcast, "25 Years of Goosebumps." In this episode, I served as guest host with Suzanne McCabe. I got to talk with Goosebumps author R.L. Stine about the series, its 25th anniversary, and more.

Being a huge Goosebumps fan growing up, I took this opportunity very seriously. I soon realized that I had not read a Goosebumps book in more than 10 years (at least). A week before the recording, in order to prepare, I checked 15 books out of the Scholastic Library.

Checking out that number of books was optimistic on my part. In the end, I was only able to read eight. However, I learned a lot from those eight books! Here's what I read:

• #1 Welcome to Dead House
• #2 Stay Out of the Basement
• #3 Monster Blood
• #4 Say Cheese and Die!
• #5 The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
• #6 Let's Get Invisible
• #7 Night of the Living Dummy
• #11 The Haunted Mask

Now, here's what I learned looking back as an adult reader (SPOILERS AHEAD):

No one dies

With the exception of the family dog in Welcome to Dead House, no one actually dies in a Goosebumps book. (They may be trapped in a parallel dimension or stuck as a plant, sure! But not *dead* dead.)

They're still funny, but in a different way

I definitely spotted the jokes for kids as I read. But there were other lines that made me laugh as an adult–mainly when kids were overdramatic about little things. In Welcome to Dead House, for example, when the lead character realizes that she'll never eat breakfast in her childhood kitchen again, she refers to the thought as MORBID. Now, I'm sure as a tween I would have had the exact thought if I were in the same situation, but to see it described as morbid was hilarious.

Bullies are still scary

In the podcast, Stine mentioned how he loves to write bullies, and I can see why. They're scary even to adults! I can't remember being bullied too much growing up. But when one character punched another–I forget if this happened in Monster Blood or Say Cheese and Die!–I gasped and was shocked.

Adults can't help you

In Stay Out of the Basement, a father turns into a plant and tells his children and wife not to worry. In The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, parents leave their child alone in a hotel room in Egypt and fly back to the United States. It's only for a few hours until the boy's uncle shows up, BUT STILL! And in Welcome to Dead House, the parents get captured.

In Goosebumps books, adults can't save you, not even your own parents. As a kid, that's terrifying. As an adult, I stopped to think: Would I believe my kids (to clarify: I do not have kids) if they came to me with stories of monsters, demon dolls, and mummies? At 32, I'm officially part of the problem.

Slappy the Dummy was second banana in his debut

Slappy the Dummy is by far the most popular character to emerge from the Goosebumps series. But do you remember Night of the Living Dummy? Mr. Wood is the main villain! This shocked me; I didn't even remember Mr. Wood from when I read the book as a child! (Something else I jotted down while reading this book: "Never read ancient spells out loud." Good advice.)

They're quick and consistent

All of these books are around 130-135 pages. They are written at a 3rd to 7th grade level. The chapters are a few pages each, and most if not all the chapters end with a cliffhanger. It was easy for me to devour the books as a child, and as an adult.

On the podcast, Stine jokingly (?) said that the only thing for readers to "get" from the Goosebumps series was to learn to enjoy reading. Even if that's true, I think that's still a worthy achievement, and something all parents hope for when their child reads a book!

For more on R.L. Stine and Goosebumps, listen to episode 43 of Scholastic Reads wherever you get your podcasts!

We have a new podcast episode!

In July 1992, Scholastic introduced a monthly book series by R.L. Stine called Goosebumps with Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House. Twenty-five years (and several generations of frightened kids later), Goosebumps is now one of the best-selling children's series of all time with more than 350 million English language books in print. To celebrate this milestone, we invited R.L. Stine into the studio to reflect on the last 25 years and to give us a look at what's still to come for the master of horror. 

Stine kicked things off by taking us back to the origin of the series. "You want to know the real funny part that I don't talk about all the time is that I never wanted to do Goosebumps," he said. "I said that's a horrible idea, scary books for 7- to 12-year-olds. . .That's the kind of businessman I am." 

Of course, we know he eventually agreed to start writing the books, and the rest is history — a megabestselling series, a TV show, and a movie later, and kids are still devouring Goosebumps! 

Though Stine is often hailed as the master of fright, he is also a jokester. In fact, I don't think anyone could make it through this episode without laughing out loud. 

One of my personal favorite parts of the show is when Stine shares some of his favorite letters that he's received over the years from young readers. 

"Dear R.L. Stine," one begins, "You are my second favorite author."

Stine laughed. "That was all it said! She kept me in suspense!" 

This episode also features a special gust co-host, Scholastic employee Gina Asprocolas. Gina is an internal communications manager, and quite possibly one of the biggest Goosebumps fans of all time — or, as she says, at least in New Jersey. 

Gina shares her story of growing up with Goosebumps. I love when she talks about how quickly she would devour the books — she would start reading in the bookstore, continue while walking through the mall and the whole car ride home, so that she was done almost immediately after getting home. Of course, at that point, she demanded another book! It got so egregious that her mom instituted a rule that she wasn't allowed to start reading until they walked through the door of their house. 

To prove that she's the ultimate Goosebumps fan, we test Gina's knowledge with some R.L. Stine trivia. And she shares some millennial-inspired Goosebumps titles since, you know, the series was born in the '90s and all.

Pop in your earbuds and give this special episode a listen right here! (We're also available on iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app!)

What will be next year's top trends in children's books?

Curated by Scholastic Reading Club editors, this list aims to help more kids discover the power and joy of reading and encourage parents to build home libraries with books guaranteed to engage even the most reluctant reader.

“Last year, we predicted Harry Potter and the wizard universe to grow in a large way in 2016. Now we know Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two was the number one selling book according to many retail sellers. In addition, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them became a pop culture juggernaut,” said David Allender, Editorial Director of Scholastic Reading Club. “Other predictions that became a reality were the growth of superheroes in kid-friendly titles, the boom of coloring books for all ages, as well as the continual growth and demand for graphic novels. We look forward to seeing our trends help kids discover the power and joy of reading.” To hear last year’s trends, listen to our Scholastic Reads podcast.

Don't forget! All titles are available for purchase via Scholastic Reading Club or the Scholastic Store at store.scholastic.com. Parents, ask your teacher if her/his classroom or school offers Scholastic Reading Club.

Scholastic Top Trends in Children’s Books for 2017:

1.)    LESSONS ON KINDNESS WILL BE KEY

This past year’s news headlines can provide children a false perception that the world is unkind and hostile. Parents and educators can take the opportunity to find books by authors and artists who are doing their part to implement the need for kindness in an uncertain world. For younger children, look for titles that teach the importance of empathy, openness and sharing. For older children, discover titles that showcase the power of unexpected friendships.

Our official Scholastic Reading Club blog, JudyNewman at Scholastic, just recently highighted how to teach kindness through children's books. It's a great read!

Top book recommendations: 

Among many others, for young readers and listeners, look for HOW DO DINOSAURS STAY FRIENDS? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague (Scholastic), HOORAY FOR HAT by Brian Won (HMH), BERNICE GETS CARRIED AWAY (Dial), and WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE KIND? by Rana DiOrio and Stephane For older readers, look for launch of the series, THE KINDNESS CLUB by Courtney Sheinmel (Bloomsbury) and, the perennial bestseller, WONDER by R. J. Palacio (Random House). WONDER will be coming to movie theaters in April 2017 so even more people will know Palacio’s story. And Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (March 17, 2017) is also a story where the plot turns on acts of kindness. So let’s hope this is a trend that’s here for good!

2.)    BOOK ANNIVERSARIES WILL REINTRODUCE MODERN CLASSICS

Millennials will remember the joys of picking out the latest titles from their favorite book series at the Scholastic Book Fair or through monthly Scholastic Reading Club flyers.  The 30th anniversary of The Magic School Bus, the 25th anniversary of Goosebumps, and the 20th anniversary of Captain Underpants will introduce a new fan base to these popular franchises. In addition, the new television series revamp of The Magic School Bus, as well as the upcoming film release of Captain Underpants and a new release in Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series will be on every kid’s reading wish list.

Top book recommendations:

GOOSEBUMPS SLAPPYWORLD #1: SLAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU by R.L. Stine (Scholastic), DOG MAN UNLEASHED by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic) and The MAGIC SCHOOL BUS series by Joanne Cole and Bruce Degan (Scholastic).

Don't forget other "book" anniversarie with anniversaries with ELEPHANT & PIGGIE by Mo Willems (Hyperion).The early reader series first launched in 2007 with two titles: MY FRIEND IS SAD and TODAY I WILL FLY.

3.)    “FUNNY” IS STILL NUMBER ONE

Recent research shows that kids worldwide say that the number one characteristic kids look for when picking out a book to read for fun is “make me laugh.”Looking for “laugh out loud” reads is one way to help a child associate reading as a fun and pleasurable activity.

Top book recommendations:

The youngest readers have great new books including MOBY SHINOBI: NINJA ON THE FARM by Luke Flowers (Scholastic) and SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS: KNOCK-KNOCK ON WOOD by Marcie Colleen and Steve James (Macmillan). Older readers should look for FRAZZLED: EVERYDAY DISASTERS AND IMPENDING DOOM by Booki Vivat and MY WEIRDEST SCHOOL: MR. NICK IS A LUNATIC by Dan Gutman (both HarperCollins).

4.)    THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH WILL GROW

As social media grows and it becomes more difficult to decipher what’s “real” news versus fake “news,” parents and educators can introduce children to the structure of nonfiction reads, biographies and other important titles that will teach children the basic skills of discerning accurate information.

Top book recommendations:

For young readers, LEGO NONFICTION: BUG OFF! (Scholastic) and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC READERS: FREDERICK DOUGLAS (National Geographic). 

For older readers, LEGO NONFICTION: FACTASTIC (Scholastic), HISTORY BUSTERS: THE TRUTH (& MYTHS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS) by Linda Peacock (Scholastic), FACT OR FAKE? by Allan Zullo (Scholastic), and HIDDEN FIGURES YOUNG READERS EDITION by Margot Lee Shetterly (HarperCollins).

5.)    CLASSICS WILL RETURN – AND BE REINVENTED

A great way to get kids introduced to new genres and stories is reading classic fairy tales – with an unexpected twist. Meet Little Red Riding Hood, but this time as a superhero. Revisit the land of Oz with the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion as the cast of characters from the Geronimo Stilton series. Children’s literature is always being reimagined in new ways and putting favorite characters into a new world of hijinks is bound to get children of all ages interested in reading for fun.

Top book recommendations:

For younger readers and listeners, look for SUPER RED RIDING HOOD by Claudia Davila (Kids Can Press), THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann and Ben Mantle (Random House), and ITSY BITSY DUCKLING  by Jeffrey Burton and Sanja Rescek (Little Simon). For older readers, the GERONIMO STILTON series (Scholastic) has a new line of classic tales including THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Also look for the launch of the LITTLE LEGENDS series (Sourcebooks) as it follows favorite fairy-tale characters in legendary new adventures.

It's tradition to involve Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine in any Halloween activities. Over the years, he's taken over Scholastic's social media accounts (multiple times!), judged Halloween costume contests, and hosted spooky events that fit the season. This year, he joined Shadow House author Dan Poblocki on a Facebook Live Video to discuss Halloween, books, and all things creepy.

Moderated by Scholastic librarian Deimosa Webber-Bey, the Live Video lasted about 20 minutes and featured cover reveals for both Shadow House 2: You Can't Hide and the new Goosebumps series, Slappyworld. Viewers submitted questions during the show, some of which were then answered live on air. Watch the replay here, and happy Halloween!