The Scholastic Reading Club “Book Boys” hosted our monthly "First Look Flyer” Facebook Live yesterday to help parents and educators find some great reads through the Scholastic Reading Club December catalogs, including some picks from the We Need Diverse Books flyers. The "Book Boys" offered some "top picks" to get every child reading for fun this month from Pre-K through middle school. You can find other holiday reads featured on our TOP PICKS book lists here!
In case you missed it, you can check out the live video below or on the Scholastic Facebook page.
Here is a quick recap of their top picks:
Jamie’s top highlights for December flyers include:
Featured in the 1st Grade catalog:
- Creatures Close Up by Gillian Watts; This is a beautiful photographic non-fiction book filled with vivid close-up pictures of fascinating creatures.
Featured in the 2nd Grade catalog:
- The Spell Thief (Little Legends #1) by Tom Percival; A new fairytale adventure series that takes place in the city of Tale Town where your favorite storybook characters are reimagined as young children.
Featured in the 6th Grade catalog:
- Middle School: Dog's Best Friend by James Patterson; In an effort to help bring in more money for his grandmother, Rafe starts a brilliant dog walking business that turns into a huge money maker, that is, until two mischievous twins plan to sabotage his plan.
Featured in the “We Need Diverse Books” Pre-K- 3rd Grade catalog
- A Poem for Peter by Andrea Davis Pinkney; This vibrant picture book pays tribute to the famous author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats and The Snowy Day, known for being one of the first mainstream picture books to feature an African American character.
Max’s top highlights for December flyers include:
Featured in the Early Childhood catalog (front page):
- Penguin’s Christmas Wish by Salina Yoon; This is a great picture book perfect for the holidays about a penguin who just wants to spend Christmas with his animal friends.
Featured in the 3rd Grade catalog:
- School Freezes Over! A Branches Book (Eerie Elementary #5) by Jack Chabert; Part of the Branches series, this book is great for kids who are just starting to read their first chapter books .
Featured in the We Need Diverse Books Pre-K- 3rd Grade catalog:
- Lola Levine Drama Queen by Monica Brown; Lola Levine is a really confident soccer player but when she decides to try out for the musical at her school, her confidence is tested.
Featured in the We Need Diverse Books 4th-8th Grade catalog:
- Nothing Up My Sleeve by Diana Lopez; Three sixth graders discover a magic shop in their town and can’t wait to put their new magic skills to the test by entering a huge competition, but face a few challenges making it there.
Allister’s top highlights for December flyers include:
Featured in the Kindergarten catalog (front page):
- The Elves’ Night Before Christmas by Holly Kowitt and David Manis : After a long Christmas season of toy making for kids all across the world, these little elves realize they forgot a gift for one special person… Santa! This is the December Book of the Month in the Kindgeraten Scholastic Reading Club flyer!
Featured in the 4th Grade catalog (front page):
- A Whole New Ballgame by Phil Bildner; Follow Rip and Red, two best friends who are faced with adjusting to their new fifth grade teacher. Learn how Rip and Red, who is autistic, help each other with this big transition into middle school.
Featured in the 5th Grade catalog:
- Speechless by Jennifer Mook-Sang ; This book is about finding out who your friends are, giving back, standing up to bullying and finding your own unique voice.
Elliot’s top highlights for December flyers include:
Featured in the 1st Grade catalog (front cover):
- Merry Christmas, Squirrels! by Nancy Rose; Follow Mr. Peanut in this photographic story that features him in all sorts of homemade miniature settings like wearing Christmas sweaters and building snowmen.
Featured in the 2nd Grade catalog:
- Race to the South Pole (Ranger in Time #4) by Kate Messner; This book, part of the classic Ranger in Time series, takes Ranger the time-traveling golden retriever on an expedition journey from New Zealand to Antarctica.
Featured in the 5th Grade catalog:
- Carols and Crushes by Natalie Blitt; The perfect feel good holiday book for middle graders with a light romance twist.
Featured in the We Need Diverse Books 4th-8th Grade catalog:
- Riding Chance by Christine Kendall; This is a great self-discovery story about a boy named Troy who finds interest in a something he never thought he would come across.
Michael’s top highlights for December flyers include:
Featured in the Early Childhood catalog (front page):
- The Little Snowplow by Lora Koehler; This is a cheerful story about a little snowplow who has been exercising to be as big and strong as the other trucks, but finds his small size is just what was needed to save the day. Check out our “Teacher to Teacher” post featuring The Little Snowplow Workout) LINK: http://www.judynewmanatscholastic.com/blog/2016/11/meet_a_mighty_little/
Featured in the 4th Grade catalog (page 6):
- Secrets of Bearhaven #2: Mission to Moon Farm by K E Rocha; Everyone’s favorite bear cub Kate is back and in tremendous danger, and it’s up to Spencer and the bears of Bearhaven to rescue her before it’s too late!
Featured in the 6th Grade catalog:
- The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner; A fun and hilarious read about a girl named Charlie, who catches a magical fish that she thinks she can use to wish away all her problems, but realizes that some things are better off the way they are.
