Scholastic defends its book club products and ignores its own advice
I discovered that Scholastic corporate communications has a blog after CCFC brought the Scholastic “book” club — complete with toys, videos, and other products — to the attention of New York Times readers.
We’ve seen the Scholastic book club flyers come home in backpacks for several years now. We manage it with two simple rules: No licensed-character books. No books with “accessories.”
And as my daughters have learned, that doesn’t leave a lot of options.
Scholastic defends their book club offerings on their blog:
I have to say, I find [CCFC's] campaign seriously misguided. I’m actually shocked that it continues to get ink.
Scholastic falls back on the argument that reluctant readers need incentives — stuffed animals, stickers, or videos — to engage in reading.
Interesting.
Whenthe Young Adult Library Services Association (a division of the American Library Association) chooses their annual list of the best books for reluctant young readers, they look at the book’s physical appearance, writing style, characters, and plot. No mention of product incentives there.
Ditto for the advice to parents of reluctant readers on Scholastic’s own website, which points to choosing age-appropriate books at the right reading level. It encourages parents to allow kids to read non-book material such as comics, magazines, or newspapers.
But this is not the same as purchasing a necklace or craft kit for your reluctant reader.
This is where, I think, Scholastic got off track. From the Sun Sentinel:
Scholastic calls that a way to “stay relevant” in the battle to engage kids’ interest. But hawking playthings in the name of education isn’t relevance. It’s a sell-out . . . .
Scholastic should be able to sell whatever it wants. But not within the walls of a school.
And if Scholastic is so concerned about reluctant readers, perhaps they should pay a little more attention to what the real experts are saying will help kids.
Only one of the ALA’s 2008 Ten Top Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers is available through Scholastic.
And that is why this story continues to get ink.
Take action: contact Scholastic.
Photo courtesy melissann