Book Focus – Series

Picture Books

Middle Grade/YA

Series

	Get the story behind the book! Our editors work with the author from idea to manuscript to finished page. Here, each month, a different Scholastic editor discusses from their personal perspective a book they’re particularly excited about. Amulet: The Stonekeeper Written by Kazu Kibuishi After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals. Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves. Read more How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? Written by Jane Yolen, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu; Illustrated by Mark Teague “Off to school with our prehistoric pals from the popular How Do Dinosaurs...? series, in which familiar scenes are made riotous by the scale-skewing enormity of elementary school-student dinos.” - Kirkus Reviews “A fun read-aloud for the first day of school.” - School Library Journal Read more Bone #1: Out From Boneville written by Jeff Smith We asked David Saylor, Creative Director of Editorial, to tell us about the comic book saga, BONE, the first series from Scholastic’s new graphic novel imprint, GRAPHIX. Read more Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo To celebrate the eagerly awaited third book in the bestselling Children of the Red King series, Publicist Clare McMahon writes about British author Jenny Nimmo and the growing popularity of Charlie Bone. Read More Chasing Vermeer Blue Balliett A richly detailed, fast-paced, imaginative, intelligent page-turner — a children's mystery that feels like a classic. Already the book is creating an incredible amount of "buzz." We know people are talking about it, because lots of people — including other publishers, and even movie companies! — have been calling us asking for copies to read! So we asked Liz Szabla, Editorial Director of Scholastic Press, to tell us why she thinks this book is so special. Read more Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost! written by Cornelia Funke Publisher and Managing Director of the Chicken House, Barry Cunningham, enlightens us with a behind the scenes peek at how a clever design idea using Cornelia Funke’s sketches got incorporated into a fun feature of the final book of Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost! Read more The Land of Elyon Book 1: The Dark Hills Divide written by Patrick Carman Craig Walker, Editorial Director of Scholastic Paperbacks, shares the story behind The Land of Elyon Book 1: The Dark Hills Divide, which is already a self-published bestselling phenomenon in the Pacific Northwest. Read more Raven’s Gate: Book One of the Gatekeepers By Anthony Horowitz What is it like to work on the thrilling new series, The Gate Keepers, from Anthony Horowitz? Scholastic editor David Levithan tells us about the latest page turner from this acclaimed writer. Read More The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable What distinguishes a good fantasy from a mediocre one, and how does an editor work on a novel originally published in another country? Here Arthur Levine, Editorial Director of Arthur A. Levine Books, and Cheryl Klein, Associate Editor, write about The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable. Read more