Scholastic Warehouse Sale

Scholastic, publisher of children's and young adult books, has a warehouse over by the Knoxville airport. They are having a warehouse sale that runs for a few more days. As a librarian, I was able to pre-register so that I could get a quick pass and get right to shopping and so that it would be easy to check out. I also got a coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase. Let's just say that with prices as low as they are at the warehouse sale that it's a lot harder to hit $50 than you might think. Most books are 50% off the cover price. There are a handful that are only 30% off. There are some books that are up to 80% off.

I'm a firm believer that children's books are for all ages. I took advantage of the sale to purchase several books of interest. A few of those were purchased because of my genealogy and history passion. I thought I'd share a few of those titles with you all.

Rinaldi, Ann. A Break with Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Scholastic, 2005. [orig. pub. 1992] - It's a story about Susanna who is involved in a meeting of girls at the home of Ann Putnam who, according to the cover (and as we know to be true from the history of the trials) "is about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people." I spotted my 8th great grand-aunt's name in the book, so you know I had to purchase it!

Bunting, Eve. One Candle. Illustrated by K. Wendy Popp. New York: Joanna Kotler Books, 2002. - While I'm not Jewish, this looked like a wonderful story about how Hannukah was celebrated by one family while living in a concentration camp.

Cooney, Caroline B. Burning Up. New York: Laurel Leaf Books, 2001. [orig. pub. 1999] - Here's the line from the back cover that sold me on the book: "But when Macey decides to research the history of a burned-out barn across the street from her grandparents' home for a school report, she gets a shock." That sounded pretty close to land and property research that we genealogists love!

Greene, Rhonda Gowler. The Very First Thanksgiving Day. Paintings by Susan Gaber. New York: Scholastic, 2003. [orig. pub. 2002] - Who can resist a picture book about the Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and the Indians?

Duble, Kathleen Benner. The Sacrifice. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2007. [orig. pub. 2005] - This is another 1692 Salem book. The setting is the nearby town of Andover where accusers are coming to "identify witches." The back cover indicates that the author does a good job explaining the hysteria that is sweeping through that part of Massachusetts. It appears to be written for a younger audience than Rinaldi's book.

So - starting and ending with Salem - I've given you a glimpse of a few of the day's purchases.