NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - July 30, 2009) - This summer Scholastic, together with Save the Children's U.S. Programs and the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, launched the Scholastic Summer Challenge. Since the free summer reading program started on April 30th, more than 59,000 kids have accepted the Challenge and registered to read for fun, play reading-based games and help children in need. Kids have logged 64,000,000 minutes spent reading, and there's still one more month to go!

Facts/Highlights:

-- Stop the Summer Slide: Research shows that kids who don't read four or more age-appropriate books over the summer are more likely to fall victim to the "Summer Slide," the common loss of skills due to being out of school over the summer.

-- Reading for fun: According to the 2008 Kids and Family Reading Report, the primary reason kids say they don't read for fun more often is that they have trouble finding books they like.

-- Reading for a good cause: Summer Challenge readers have been learning about critical issues kids face in the areas of early childhood development, literacy, physical activity and nutrition and emergency preparedness and response, which are at the core of Save the Children's work in the U.S. At the end of the summer, Scholastic will make a financial contribution to Save the Children's U.S. Programs on behalf of all the participating readers and the winning Summer Challenge team will vote on which issue Save the Children works on receives an extra donation of books!

-- U.S. Gubernatorial Spouses Act As Reading Ambassadors: To further the message to children and families about the importance of summer reading, this summer 38 U.S. Gubernatorial Spouses signed on as "Reading Ambassadors," to raise awareness about summer reading to children, families, teachers and librarians throughout the country. In support of their role as Reading Ambassadors, Scholastic donated 500 books to fourth and fifth grade students in each of the First Spouses' states for the children to take home and read this summer. Many Reading Ambassadors also hosted summer reading kick-off events at local schools, libraries, or the governors' residences.

Supporting Quotes:

-- Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic:

"The thousands of kids who have taken the Scholastic Summer Challenge are keeping their learning skills strong for when they return to school. They've grown into a great online reading community, recommending books to one another, sharing fun experiences with books, and encouraging their teammates to keep reading."

-- Ron Fairchild, Executive Director, National Center for Summer Learning:

"All kids need opportunities over the summer to practice what they've learned during the school year. Programs that encourage kids to read age-appropriate books that interest them are a great way to keep kids learning over the summer."

-- Mark Shriver, Vice President and Managing Director, Save the Children's U.S. Programs:

"We are thrilled that this program not only gets kids reading but also educates them about some of the challenges faced by other kids across the country. Today one in six kids lives in poverty. With the Summer Challenge, Scholastic is taking an important leadership role in uniting the next generation and instilling a greater sense of responsibility to one another."

-- Judge Marjorie Rendell, First Lady of Pennsylvania and Reading Ambassador:

"On behalf of the Reading Ambassadors, it's a pleasure to encourage children to read this summer to help combat learning losses and foster a lifelong love of reading. Children's literacy is a vital and important issue, and the Gubernatorial Spouses are doing our part to provide families and educators with the encouragement, tools, and resources to help guide their children's reading development."

-- Kid Member of the Scholastic Summer Challenge:

"What I like best about the Summer Challenge is that everyone on your team is out there somewhere, reading, and we're all basically working together even though we've never met."

Supporting Resources:

-- Summer Challenge book reviews by kids: http://news.scholastic.com/reviewsbyyou/

-- Summer Challenge sweepstakes for kids, including books from Scholastic (http://www.scholastic.com/summersweepstakes) free bonus points from SmartyCard, redeemable for real rewards (http://www.smartycard.com), and membership to Kidzui, the Internet for kids (http://www.kidzui.com).

Videos/Images:

-- Shout-outs for summer reading by celebrities (Brendan Fraser, Keke Palmer), authors (Meg Cabot, Pam Muñoz Ryan), musicians (Mario, Lil' Mama), NFL stars (Trent Edwards, Matt Ryan), and even WordGirl: http://www.scholastic.com/summervideos

-- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan talks about the Summer Slide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrQ4kVJQYMQ

-- Various Gubernatorial Spouses' summer reading event photos: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/readingambassadors

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology and children's media. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teaching resources, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, television networks and the Company's Web site, www.scholastic.com.