New York, NY—February 2, 2018—This fall, Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, will launch a new imprint dedicated to narrative nonfiction for young readers called Scholastic Focus. Under the direction of Scholastic Press’s Editorial Director Lisa Sandell, Scholastic Focus will publish nonfiction books by both new and established talents that will allow readers to draw connections between historical moments and our own, and will present momentous topics and encourage crucial debates in an edifying and gripping way. The debut Focus list will include bestselling and acclaimed historians Neal Bascomb, Lawrence Goldstone, and Deborah Hopkinson. Future lists will feature books by such award-winning writers as Henry Louis Gates Jr., Robert M. Edsel, Alvin Townley, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Da Chen, Rebecca Rissman, and more.

“In today’s rapidly changing world, parents, educators, and kids alike are looking for books that will tell true and moving stories that can help young readers better understand themselves and the world around them.” said Lisa Sandell. “Scholastic Focus will boost our already considerable nonfiction backlist and tackle timely, complex, and challenging subjects—including identity, the struggle for racial justice, the unheralded stories of the men and women who helped shape this nation and the world, and so much more—in a programmatic way that is engaging and relevant to young readers. We hope these books, written by some of the leading names in nonfiction, will help start many important conversations.”

FALL 2018 SCHOLASTIC FOCUS LIST

• THE GRAND ESCAPE: THE GREATEST PRISON BREAKOUT OF THE 20TH CENTURY (October 2018, Ages 12 and up, Arthur A. Levine Books in association with Scholastic Focus)
  by NEAL BASCOMB
  At the height of World War I, as battles raged in the trenches and in the air, another struggle for survival was being waged in the most notorious POW camp in all of Germany: Holzminden. A land-locked Alcatraz of sorts, it was home to the most troublesome Allied prisoners—and the most talented at escape. The Grand Escape tells the remarkable tale of a band of pilots who pulled off an ingenious plan and made it out of enemy territory in the biggest breakout of WWI, inspiring their countrymen in the darkest hours of the war.

About Neal Bascomb:
Neal Bascomb is the author of The Nazi Hunters (Arthur A. Levine Books), winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award in 2014, among numerous other awards. His second young adult book, Sabotage, was called “excellent” in a starred review from School Library Journal. He is also the author of six nonfiction books for adults on subjects ranging from a 1905 Russian submarine mutiny to a contemporary high school robotics team. The Perfect Mile, Winter Fortress, and Hunting Eichmann went on to be New York Times and international bestsellers. Neal lives in Seattle with his family and rascal dog Moses. Please visit his website at www.nealbascomb.com and follow him on Facebook at @nealrbascomb.

• UNPUNISHED MURDER: MASSACRE AT COLFAX AND THE QUEST FOR JUSTICE (September 2018, Ages 12 and up)
  by LAWRENCE GOLDSTONE
  On Easter Sunday of 1873, just eight years after the Civil War ended, a band of white supremacists marched into Grant Parish, Louisiana, surrounded the courthouse, set it on fire, and massacred over one hundred African Americans. Yet, following one of the most ghastly and barbaric incidents of mass murder in American history, not a single person was convicted. In this remarkably compelling and thoroughly researched volume for young readers, Lawrence Goldstone traces the history of the court case and the actions of the figures involved, and presents the extraordinary story of how the Supreme Court allowed post-slavery discrimination against black Americans to become institutionalized and entrenched in the American justice system.

About Lawrence Goldstone:
Lawrence Goldstone is the author of more than twenty books for adults, including three on Constitutional Law. His first book for young readers, Higher, Steeper, Faster—The Daredevils Who Conquered the Skies, received three starred reviews and was named one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2017. Goldstone’s writing has been featured in The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. Please visit his website at www.lawrencegoldstone.com.

• D-DAY: THE WORLD WAR II INVASION THAT CHANGED HISTORY (September 2018, Ages 8-12)
  by DEBORAH HOPKINSON
  The WWII invasion of Allied troops into German-occupied Europe, known as D-Day, was the largest military endeavor in history. Acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson details not just the accomplishments of the offensive’s major players, but the courageous contributions of commanders, service members, African-Americans, women, journalists, and others to this critical battle. Her remarkable research and masterful weaving together of official documents, personal accounts, and archival photographs into a clear and compelling tapestry brings this key battle to vivid, thrilling life.

About Deborah Hopkinson:
Deborah Hopkinson is an award-winning author of picture books, fiction, and nonfiction. Her nonfiction titles include Shutting out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924, an NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book and Jane Addams Peace Award Honor Book; Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, a Sibert Medal Honor Book and YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction finalist; Courage & Defiance, Stories of Spies, Saboteurs and Survivors in World War II Denmark, a Sydney Taylor Notable Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, and a winner of the Oregon Book Award and Oregon Spirit Award; and Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific, which was named an NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book and Oregon Spirit Award honor book. Deborah lives with her family near Portland, Oregon. Visit her online at deborahhopkinson.com, and follow her on Twitter at @Deborahopkinson.

• NEW PAPERBACK EDITIONS:

THE GREATEST: MUHAMMAD ALI (Ages 12 and up)
by WALTER DEAN MYERS

LINCOLN’S GRAVE ROBBERS (Ages 10-14)
by STEVE SHEINKIN

SPRING 2019 SCHOLASTIC FOCUS LIST

• DARK SKY RISING: RECONSTRUCTION AND THE DAWN OF JIM CROW (Spring 2019, Ages 9-12)
  by HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. with TONYA BOLDEN
  Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Tonya Bolden present a captivating journey through America’s turbulent past and our nation’s attempts at renewal in this dynamic look at the Civil War’s conclusion, Reconstruction, and the rise of Jim Crow racism and segregation. Stirring, real-life accounts of heroism, grit, betrayal, and bravery, drive this book’s narrative, spanning America’s history from 1861-1915, and drawing parallels to today.

About Henry Louis Gates Jr.:
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is one of the premier U.S. scholars of African-American literature and history. Gates is the head of Harvard’s African-American Studies department. He is an acclaimed author and critic who has unearthed an array of literary gems; he has also hosted PBS programs such as Africa’s Great Civilizations; Finding Your Roots; Black in Latin America; and the Emmy Award-winning series, The African-Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Gates is the recipient of more than 50 honorary degrees and numerous prizes. He was one of the first recipients of the MacArthur genius grant in 1981. He was the first African-American scholar to be awarded the National Humanities Medal, was named to Time’s 25 Most Influential Americans list in 1997, selected for Ebony’s Power 150 list in 2009, and to Ebony’s Power 100 list in 2010 and 2012.

About Tonya Bolden:
Tonya Bolden is the award-winning author of many notable books for children and young adults, among them the Coretta Scott King Author Honor-winning Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American Girl, which was also a James Madison Book Award Winner and CCBC Best Book of the Year. Ms. Bolden’s Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty was named a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year and is the recipient of the Carter G. Woodson Book Award. Ms. Bolden is a two-time NAACP Image Award nominee, and Winner of the 2016 Children’s Book Guild of Washington, DC.’s Nonfiction Award for Body of Work.

• THE GREATEST TREASURE HUNT IN HISTORY: THE STORY OF THE MONUMENTS MEN (Spring 2019, Ages 9-12)
  by ROBERT M. EDSEL
  As World War II ravaged Europe, many of the world’s most cherished cultural objects stood in harm’s way. The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History recounts the astonishing true story of eleven artists, architects, scholars, and educators who risked their lives to preserve churches, libraries, monuments, and works of art from bombing and Nazi looting. The Monuments Men, as these volunteers came to be known, found themselves in a desperate race against time to locate and save the many priceless treasures and works of art stolen by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Robert M. Edsel, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Monuments Men, brings this story to young readers for the first time in a sweeping and dynamic adventure detailing history’s greatest treasure hunt.

About Robert M. Edsel:
Robert M. Edsel is the author of three books about the Monuments Men including the #1 New York Times bestseller The Monuments Men, which Academy Award winner George Clooney adapted into a feature film in 2014, and Saving Italy, also a New York Times bestseller. He is the coproducer of the Emmy-nominated documentary film The Rape of Europa. Mr. Edsel is also the host of a new investigative television series, Hunting Nazi Treasure, which will be broadcast in 2018. In 2007 he founded the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, which was a recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the United States’ highest honor for work in the humanities. Mr. Edsel has received numerous awards for his work honoring the Monuments Men and Women and his advocacy of art preservation. He has served as a trustee on numerous not-for-profit organizations including The National WWII Museum and St. Mark’s School of Texas. He lives with his family in Dallas, Texas. Please visit him online at www.monumentsmen.com and on Twitter at @RobertEdsel.

• CAPTURED: AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR IN NORTH VIETNAM (Spring 2019, Ages 12 and up)
  by ALVIN TOWNLEY
  Naval Aviator Jeremiah Denton was captured behind North Vietnamese lines in 1965. The prison where he was held as a POW and routinely tortured was nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton,” as his captors boldly flouted the Geneva Conventions. Jerry Denton led a group of American POWs in withstanding these harsh conditions by developing a system of secret codes and covert communications and keeping up their spirits. Denton’s story — including that of the men he led, and of his wife, who fought for prisoners’ rights while he was held captive — is an extraordinary narrative of human resilience and endurance. Townley brings the story of Denton and his fellow POWs’ courage and fortitude to life in gripping detail in this thrilling narrative nonfiction project for young readers.

About Alvin Townley:
Bestselling author Alvin Townley has traveled the world to discover inspiring stories of leadership, adventure, purpose, and personal triumph. He is the author of Legacy of Honor, Spirit of Adventure, Fly Navy, and Defiant: The POWs Who Endured Vietnam’s Most Infamous Prison, and was part of the Emmy Award-winning team behind the documentary film Jeremiah, on the subject of Jeremiah Denton’s imprisonment. He speaks often, to both youth and adults, about subjects he holds dear, including veterans, character, perseverance, and citizenship. He lives in Atlanta with his wife; learn more at www.AlvinTownley.com.

• THE LADY IS A SPY: VIRGINIA HALL, WORLD WAR II HERO OF THE FRENCH RESISTANCE (Spring 2019, Ages 12 and up)
  by DON MITCHELL
  From Don Mitchell, the critically acclaimed author of The Freedom Summer Murders, comes a new young adult biography examining the life of Virginia Hall, an American secret agent in Nazi-occupied France. Illustrated with numerous photographs, including many from Hall’s family archive, The Lady is a Spy is an in-depth look at the dangerous exploits of one of the most extraordinary figures of World War II.

About Don Mitchell:
Don Mitchell is the author of several critically acclaimed nonfiction books for young people, including The Freedom Summer Murders, which received multiple starred reviews and was an NAACP Image Award Nominee, a finalist for the Cybils Award, and a Kirkus Prize finalist in the Young Readers’ Literature; Liftoff: A Photobiography of John Glenn; and Driven: A Photobiography of Henry Ford. Don is passionate about bringing history to life for young readers.

• NEW PAPERBACK EDITIONS:

HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW (Ages 12 and up)
by SUSAN CAMPBELL BARTOLETTI

MALCOLM X: BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY (Ages 12 and up)
by WALTER DEAN MYERS

About Scholastic Focus
The mission of Scholastic Focus is to provide middle-grade and young adult readers with thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed narrative nonfiction that will help them make sense of the world, its history, and their place within it. We aim to apply the following fundamental philosophies to our publishing: First, ideas matter—the beliefs and values that have guided humanity over time continue to carry weight and influence, bearing discussion and exploration. Second, innovation is paramount—as seen throughout history, humanity progresses by way of invention, inspiration, and revolution; we honor such crucial endeavors. And, third, a diversity of perspectives and identities benefits us all by creating robust dialogue and richer, more welcoming communities. We look forward to publishing nonfiction books by both new and established talents that are both timely and timeless, that will allow readers to draw connections between historical moments and our own, that will illuminate corners of the nation and the world that do not always receive the attention they deserve, and that will present momentous topics and crucial debates in an edifying and gripping way.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a leading provider of core literacy curriculum and professional services, and a producer of educational and entertaining children's media. The Company creates quality books and ebooks, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, classroom magazines and other products and services that support children's learning both in school and at home. With operations in 14 international offices and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom collections, school and public libraries, retail and online. True to its mission of 97 years to encourage the personal and intellectual growth of all children beginning with literacy, the Company has earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.

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