Scholastic's The Stacks

Review

Common Sense Media says

Community, news, and fun for tween readers, with ads.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
8
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that THE STACKS is a well-organized and well-moderated tween site created by Scholastic to promote its books and book series (like Harry Potter) created for kids ages 8-13.  Tweens can come here to find out more about their favorite books and authors, practice their writing skills, chat with other readers on message boards, play games, get news about their favorite book series and upcoming releases, and watch videos. The site contains lots of ads both for related and non-related products, some of which might be difficult for tweens to identify as commercial.

  • Positive messages3
    There's a strong emphasis on creating community around kids' shared love of certain books and book series. Kids are encouraged to shape the content that appears on this site ("submit your own poll question," "what other message boards should Scholastic create?").
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism3
    There are a lot of ads on this site for everything from Scholastic books and book-related products such as video games to pest control services and sticky notes. Even though ads are clearly marked, some are still a little too closely linked to content for many younger kids to make the distinction. For example, some of the clothing and accessory options in the "create your avatar" section of the site are "sponsored" by various advertisers, like Disney. The videos are also rather celebrity heavy.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety4
    Scholastic has a fantastic tutorial on the site for teaching tweens how to select a non-identifying user name. First name/last initial are the only information required to register on the site, but this info is kept private. Kids can email their complete profile to a friend by submitting their first name, their friend's first name and their friend's email address. To register for the newsletter, users have to provide their email address and their parent's email as well. Parental notification is not required for registering with the site, but it is required for the newsletter to be sent to a child's email address.
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Is it any good?

 

THE STACKS is Scholastic's official spot online for kids ages 8-13.
Scholastic's main website and catalogs have oodles of material for
parents, teachers, and kids of various ages to sort through, so it's
nice that The Stacks is the place just for tweens. While at The Stacks
(still in beta), kids can communicate on moderated message boards with
other kids about the books they love and issues that are important to
them; they can play games, learn about their favorite authors and
celebrities, and practice their writing skills. The video section is
fairly celebrity heavy; It would be nice to see more authors, teachers,
and "real kids" featured. There are also a lot of ads here, a definite
downside, but overall this is an excellent site for young independent
readers to be affirmed for reading, one of the healthiest habits young
people can cultivate.

Online interaction: The message boards are monitored by moderators who actually respond to kids' individual posts. This helps to create a positive atmosphere where kids are heard and, therefore, tend to make more meaningful and respectful comments.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the ways this site advertises to kids in ways that are more subtle than traditional advertisements. Read Common Sense Media's Selling to Kids parent advice.

  • Ask your tween how he or she can communicate thoughts about a book on the message boards respectfully, even if they are different than those of other kids who are posting.

  • This site offers a great opportunity for parents to get to know more about their tweens' reading preferences. Discuss what books bring them to the site and learn more about the characters so you can enter into their reading world. Check out Common Sense Media's 10 Tips for Choosing Books for Kids of All Ages.

This review was written by Dana Villamagna
Kid, 11 years old
April 25, 2011
AGE
10
 
WE NEED TO CHAT TOGETHER
i realy love being on here but... the problem is that i can't realy chat to nobody and i hope nobody on a computer gets hert. kids should chat on kids facebook.
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Helped me decide (14) | Had useful details (12) | Read my mind (15)
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Kid, 11 years old
June 13, 2011
AGE
8
 
On the lame side
The games on it get boring easily, and getting to somewhere on the site is confusing. Plus, the books they are "aware" of is an extremely short list. There's a place to write in your top 5 fave books, so I put in "The Hunger Games". They blocked it! Apparently, Scholastic doesn't know "The Hunger Games" is a book. On the Top 5 Books thing, you can only put in books they know! Pretty dumb
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Helped me decide (11) | Had useful details (11) | Read my mind (17)
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Kid, 11 years old
September 18, 2011
AGE
6
 
The Stacks know how
The Stacks is a really great website but there has been a lot of ads on the site but the ads are about books so nothing to worry about if you know ads. I am a menber on this website and I think it's the best reading website up their with You Are What You Read!
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Helped me decide (11) | Had useful details (13) | Read my mind (11)
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Teen, 16 years old
April 16, 2012
AGE
9
 
The Stacks for Kids
It is amazing if you love books!
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This review was written by Dana Villamagna
Genre:Fan Sites
This review was written by Dana Villamagna

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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