For the first 11 years of my life, I was an only child, so stories were all I had to keep me company. Stories gave me the power to envision myself far beyond where I was at the moment. Now I’m in an incredible position to show the power of story to readers. I get to share the power of story with my son, Christopher. I want him, and all children, to grow up knowing that they have a purpose in this universe. The stories I write and the stories that we read together take us to places both near and far, and teach us about people who are like us and those who are beautifully different.
There’s nothing more powerful than a story to connect us, to help us understand each other, and to build empathy. The Power of Story initiative aims to uplift books and voices for all ages that tell the stories of historically underrepresented groups specifically related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religion, and culture. In sharing these books with young people, you will be giving them the opportunity to see that everyone’s story deserves to be told, to read widely, and to understand and expand their world.
A seasonal catalog that includes:
- Listing of titles by grade range
- Educator Resources
- Searchable index with topic and theme markers
- Multiple editions, including en Español, audiobook, and ebook
- So many books to love from classics to new favorites!
Power of Story Presents Speaker Series
A virtual event series that provides a platform for conversation about Scholastic books and highlights the creative voices behind them.
Reaching Readers: Igniting Community Change
Independent Readers, Infinite Possibilities: Exploring Series Fiction
All Because You Matter: The Affirmation and Celebration of Young Black Lives
A rich, engaging conversation with Tami Charles, author of All Because You Matter, and educator Vera Ahiyya.
Spine-Tingling Tales: Reclaiming the Supernatural in Kidlit
Watch an invigorating conversation with debut authors Claribel A. Ortega (Ghost Squad), Daka Hermon (Hide and Seeker), India Hill Brown (The Forgotten Girl) and moderated by Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Associate Professor of Literacy, Culture, and International Education at UPenn.
Drawing Marvel: Representation in Pop Culture
Eric Wilkerson, cover artist for the Black Panther novel Shuri written by Nic Stone, and Pablo Leon, illustrator of the graphic novel Miles Morales: Shock Waves written by Justin A. Reynolds, discuss their own experiences as BIPOC artists, how they amplify voices of underrepresented minorities in their work, and why powerful representation in superhero comics matters.
Beyond Borders: Immigration Experiences in Kid Lit
Award-Winning authors give a voice to the often invisible modern immigrant story, shining a light on what it means to be an immigrant and exploring why a person would decide to leave their home and the peril that exists on either side of the border once they do.
Featuring Aida Salazar (Author, Land of the Cranes), Francisco X. Stork (Author, Illegal), and Kelly Yang (Author, Three Keys)
What Does the Power of Story Mean to You?
Tami Charles, award-winning author of All Because You Matter
Kelly Yang, award-winning author of Three Keys
Stories are powerful because they transcend the boundaries of race, gender, and your current socioeconomic station. They don’t care that you add water to your shampoo to make it last longer or that you practice the piano on your desk because you can’t afford a real one. They put all those differences aside and appeal to what we all have in common. My parents and I were first-generation, struggling immigrants from China, working in motels all over California. But I always had stories, borrowed from my school library. It didn’t matter that my parents and I worked seven days a week or that the last vacation my family took was coming to this country – through those stories, I could travel the world, be anyone, do anything! That is the power of story.
Francisco X. Stork, award-winning author of Illegal
The power of story happens when there is a character in a novel who is like me, although I’ve never seen myself that way, and there are words for what I’ve felt before but could not name until then, and something suddenly opens in me and around me and I see new worth and value to who I am, such as I am, and to my life, such as it is, and I am rung like a bell, certain that I am being asked to give to life what only I can give.