Do you remember the joy of watching your grade school teacher unpack your Scholastic Book Club order?
Scholastic has completely revamped the program as Scholastic Reading Club, offering new flyers for specific grade levels. We’ve embedded a picture of the new preschool flyer above. Here’s more from the company:
New Common Core State Standards are based on specific skills at each grade level. Now, Club flyers are labeled for “1st Graders,” “2nd Graders,” etc., and schools receive individual monthly catalogs for grades pre-K through grade 5 and a catalog for middle school, each of which offers books that align to the new Common Core State Standards. With grade-appropriate books at a range of reading levels typically found in each grade, students who excel at reading as well as those who struggle will find appropriate books.
Online, you can find lots of nostalgic websites looking back at the classic Scholastic Book Club. Branded in the 80s has a great essay about the flyers.
Flickr user jl.incrowd created an awesome collection of books from the club in the 1960s and 1970s. Check it out:
I remember in grade school how freaking fun it was to place an order for these inexpensive kids books, and that there may have been no greater thrill than when those books arrived in the classroom and were distributed. Like, just electric. Perhaps the only comparable experience I feel nowadays is when I receive an Amazon dividend via my credit card. It’s nice, but it’s not like that ol’ Scholastic Book buzz.