MAIN NEWS HEADLINES

January 1-15, 200 Edition Scholastic Publisher Jean Feiwel to Receive

Curtis Benjamin Award for Creativity

Washington, DC January 6, 2004–Jean Feiwel, Senior Vice President of ScholasticInc. and Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Scholastic Books, has been named to receive the 28 th Annual Curtis Benjamin Award for Creative Publishing,it was announced today by the Association of American Publishers (AAP).

Ms. Feiwel’s creative vision and talent as a publisher and editor are widely acknowledged as key factors in the phenomenal success of Scholastic’s trade publishing program. She is only the third woman to receive the Curtis Benjamin Award(following Ursula Nordstrom in 1979, and Margaret K. McElderry in 1993).

Presentation of the Curtis Benjamin Award will return to the AAP Annual Meeting after several years at BookExpo. Ms. Feiwel will receive the award in Washington, DC on Wednesday evening, February 25 at a dinner at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.

Ms. Feiwel has published an extensive list of award-winning titles and has, throughout her publishing career, recognized and nurtured outstanding literary talent. Karen Hesse, winner of both the Newbery and Christopher Awards, and a 2002 recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Award, said that “In her masterful hands my books have flourished and thrived. I have worked with many editors over the years. Jean is one of a kind.” These sentiments were echoed by Ann Martin, author of one of Scholastic’s most successful series, The Babysitter’s Club, and winner of a 2002 Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe. “One of the greatest gifts I’ve received,” Ms. Martin said, “has been the privilege of working with Jean.”

Under Ms.Feiwel’s leadership, Scholastic has expanded its publishing catalog to reach children from pre-school through young adult. She has launched a host of highly successful books, including the magical Harry Potter, the groundbreaking visual riddles of I Spy, zany Captain Underpants, and the well-loved Magic School Bus. Fulfilling her vision of making history come alive through personal diaries, Ms. Feiwel introduced the Dear America series in 1996. In addition Ms. Feiwel has directed Scholastic’s multicultural publishing program and is especially proud that two of their titles won NAACP Image Awards in 2002.

A native New Yorker, Ms. Feiwel worked at Avon Books and the Whitney Museum of American Art prior to joining Scholastic in 1983. She has served as a member of the AAP Freedom to Read Committee and is a past president of the Children’s Book Council.

:

The Curtis Benjamin Award, which is administered by the Association of American Publishers, was first given in 1975 to honor Curtis Benjamin, a much admired former President of McGraw-Hill.It is given to a living publisher in the United States who has demonstrated exceptional creativity and innovation in publishing.