You Are What You Read

Review

Common Sense Media says

Reading is fun... pass it on!
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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Learning1
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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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Scholastic's You Are What You Read encourages kids to create and share a favorite books list and learn what other people are reading around them and in faraway places in a new, fun way. Celebrities that kids will recognize also share their lists here, making reading not only a fun, global experience but cool, too.  Scholastic continues to set the bar high on personal privacy and online safety for kids. Note: A kid registering a profile for You Are What You Read is also registering for The Stacks and other Scholastic sites.

  • Positive messages5
    Sharing what you love to read can be fun for you and enlightening to others. Learning what other kids, authors, celebrities, athletes, and politicians read opens your mind to new thoughts. Reading helps build a global community of shared experience.
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism2
    Scholastic is a bookseller and this site obviously promotes reading books -- but that's all children's and youth books, not just the ones published by Scholastic. Kids cannot buy books directly here. The company's overall site for kids, The Stacks, is promoted and linked to here, and there's lots of advertising there. Many of the celebrities who are featured here are Scholastic authors, so there is a bit of cross-promotion but nothing overt.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety4
    No major privacy concerns. Kids only need to give their first name and last initial and choose a username and password to register a profile on Scholastic's The Stacks; this profile is needed to participate in You Are What You Read. If they choose they may also give age and gender, as well as a state/country location for the reading map. Scholastic provides a safety primer for helping kids choose safe usernames.
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What kids can learn

1

Kids can learn how books are special -- even social -- as they see how their favorite books connect them to kids globally. You Are What You Read is an information site where kids are encouraged to discover books recommended by other kids from around the world. Kids can also peruse celebrities' book lists and participate in polls about books and reading. In-depth book descriptions and places to write reviews might further spur kids' love of reading.

Skills
  • Emotional Development
  • Health & Fitness
  • Responsibility & Ethics
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What's it about?

You Are What You Read is a part of The Stacks, Scholastic’s tween site created to promote its books. Kids can register as a member by creating a username and password that is generated from the site. Kids are then asked to make a Bookprint from a database of popular books: "What five books mean the most to you (and why)?” After the Bookprint is completed, kids immediately see their connection to other members who have listed the same favorites. Social media features include the option to "like" a book and pass it on to others. Note that once users click on other sections such as games and blogs, they enter The Stacks site. 

Is it any good?

 

Anytime reading can be encouraged in a hip, kid-friendly way it's a good thing. The site takes the information that kids and celebrities input and uses it in interesting ways through maps, lists, and numerical counters to show kids geographic reading trends and how many people like what they do. And it offers some book recommendations they might like based on their already known interests -- all the while keeping safety and privacy paramount. It would be nice to see a few more features like video interviews with the celebs, games, or other interactive activities kids like added to this site. Overall, a dynamic way to encourage kids to read.

Online interaction: Lots of safety guidelines and built-in methods to help kids stay on meaningful topic make this site extraordinarily conducive to positive, constructive, and managed online interaction for kids.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about why reading actual books of any length is still worthwhile and important in today's world of tiny texts and tweets. Read Common Sense Media's interview with a reading expert on How to Get Your Kids Reading.  

  • As ways of advertising grow less obvious with each passing generation, kids need to think about how they may be marketed to in different ways. Ask your kids why they think a publishing company like Scholastic would spend the time and money creating a high-quality site like this without overt advertising or a bookstore component on the site itself.   

This review was written by Dana Villamagna

What kids can learn

1

Kids can learn how books are special -- even social -- as they see how their favorite books connect them to kids globally. You Are What You Read is an information site where kids are encouraged to discover books recommended by other kids from around the world. Kids can also peruse celebrities' book lists and participate in polls about books and reading. In-depth book descriptions and places to write reviews might further spur kids' love of reading.

Skills
  • Collaboration: respecting other viewpoints
  • Communication: friendship building
  • Creativity:
  • Emotional Development:
  • Health & Fitness:
  • Responsibility & Ethics:
  • Self-Direction: self-reflection
  • Tech Skills: social media, using and applying technology
  • Thinking & Reasoning:

What's it about?

You Are What You Read is a part of The Stacks, Scholastic’s tween site created to promote its books. Kids can register as a member by creating a username and password that is generated from the site. Kids are then asked to make a Bookprint from a database of popular books: "What five books mean the most to you (and why)?” After the Bookprint is completed, kids immediately see their connection to other members who have listed the same favorites. Social media features include the option to "like" a book and pass it on to others. Note that once users click on other sections such as games and blogs, they enter The Stacks site. 

How kids will learn

Helping kids discover new books is the site's greatest asset. As kids connect with other members, they get book recommendations based on their Bookprints. Profile pages would draw kids in more if there were more space to reflect on readings and more community tools. The top of the page includes several portals for interacting with others (games, blogs, and message boards), but these sections are part of The Stacks -- Scholastic’s tween site created to promote its books.

How parents can help

  • Join the parent portal of You Are What You Read. From here, you can communicate with your kids and discover new books together by visiting member profiles.
  • Map out member Bookprints by geography to visually capture how friends share similar reading interests with others around the world.
This review was written by Jinny Ree
Kid, 12 years old
October 10, 2011
AGE
13
 
N.O! not opposed
They say some innapropriate words for kids like 'hot'. And that's not acceptable.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (17) | Had useful details (20) | Read my mind (23)
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This review was written by Dana Villamagna
Genre:Educational
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.
Our child development rating guidelines

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