Most major children’s book publishers roll out their new titles with face-to-face preview events that take  place in major cities or at national or regional conferences. But Scholastic has been dreaming bigger, aiming for larger national audiences with virtual previews loaded with author appearances. For the sixth time, the publisher will offer a sneak peak at its upcoming lineup on November 13, when its spring 2014 preview video will offer “38 Books in 38 Minutes” from more than a dozen authors. SLJ was given insider access to the production—which took place over several days last month in New York City—including a few wonderful moments spent chatting with Sharon Robinson, picture book author and daughter of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, and her mother, Rachel.

Rachel and Sharon Robinson take a break during filming to chat with the director.

The finished preview, which will be comprised of footage shot by Scholastic as well as videos sent in by the authors and edited in, will include such well-known authors as Jim Benton, Dav Pilkey, Dan Santat, Cynthia Lord, Deborah Wiles, Varian Johnson, Elizabeth Eulberg, Eliot Schrefer, Trent Reedy, Vicky Alvear Schecter, Victoria Scott, Michael Northrop, and Lucy Christopher. During our behind-the-scenes visit, we spotted Schrefer, whose book Endangered  won critical acclaim and a National Book Award nomination this year, as he was all wired up and placed before a camera. He spoke about his latest book, Threatened (March), which features a boy named Luc trying to survive, in a starnge turn of events, alongside a troop of apes.

Eliot Schrefer during filming.

Schrefer was a pro in front of the camera, but the task proved a bit more difficult for author Trent Reedy. Reedy—whose latest book, Divided We Fall, is due out in January 2014—traveled from Boise with his wife to Scholastic headquarters in New York City for the filming. He seemed a little uneasy at first, but with help from the director, he was able convey the intensity of his book’s futuristic story, which depicts a young National Guardsman is at the center of a controversy that may crumble the government. With authors coming and going for the filming, Scholastic staff mostly resisted becoming star-struck—but these efforts fell by the wayside when Sharon and Rachel Robinson arrived. The 91-year- old widow joined her daughter to discuss Sharon’s upcoming picture book, Under the Same Sun, a true story of their visit to her brother and his family’s home in Tanzania. It’s due out in January. In the meantime, School Library Journal asked Sharon Robinson to say a few words about her mother. According to John Mason, Scholastic's director of library and educational marketing, the publisher's previous video, for its fall 2013 preview, received more than 14,000 unique views. Scholastic hopes that will increase as more librarians and teacher learn about the site, he tells SLJ. That preview can still be viewed online until November 13, when it will be replaced with the spring 2014 edition.