Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, co-authors of the "Magisterium" series. All images courtesy of Scholastic.

If only I were still a working librarian, I would definitely use portions of the Scholastic Fall 2014 Online Preview for September book talk to students or patrons. What better way to introduce a book than by having the author or editor talk it up? The new Scholastic books offer something for every age level. Viewers short on time can skip to different sections: Picture Books & Young Readers, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, and Young Adult. Artists, authors, and editors waxed enthusiastic. Illustrator Mark Teague talked about his most recent title, a book he worked on with Bonnie Verburg, The Tree House that Jack Built (May), describing the fun he had creating a tree house full of animals. Kevin Sherry had a particularly engaging presentation of his debut chapter book, The Yeti Files #1: Meet the Bigfeet (September), explaining in words and drawings what a "cryptid" is. Any book that features a Bigfoot reunion is a guaranteed good time and will attract readers. Others got into character when introducing readers to their books. Editors David Saylor and Ken Geist read a selection from Diane & Christyan Fox’s The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf and Grandma (August), a comical twist on “Little Red Riding Hood” in which readers learn that the title character has terrible fashion sense. Jude Watson and Kathryn Erskine followed suit, with Watson (aka Judy Blundell) dressing up as a detective to discuss Loot: How to Steal a Fortune (June), a novel about two orphan cat burglars, and Erskine donning a monk's robe and reading by candlelight for Badger Knight (August), a story about a sickly boy’s epic adventure through medieval England and Scotland.

Author Patrik Henry Bass and illustrator Jerry Craft of Zero Degree Zombie Zone.

Star power abounded among middle-grade reads. Coe Booth expounded on her first middle-grade book, Kinda Like Brothers (August), a story about a boy coping with a new foster brother. Holly Black and Cassandra Clare made an appearance to discuss their collaboration for “The Magisterium,” a series set at an academy for magicians. In the series opener, The Iron Trial (September), a new student is forcibly brought to the Magisterium. YA author Maggie Stiefvater made an appearance to talk about Sinner (July) a companion novel to her “Shiver” trilogy. (“Shiver” fans will remember Sinner’s protagonist, Cole St. Clair, a secondary character from the series.) Editors presented a variety of YA titles—debut author Caroline Tung Richmond’s The Only Thing to Fear (September) is set in an alternate United States, where the Nazi won World War II. Cyber fame, online bullying, and the death of a sibling all come into play in Donna Cooner’s Can’t Look Away (August). Teens may also enjoy Lisa Schroeder’s The Bridge from Me to You (July, 2014), a novel about a new girl in town and a football star told in alternating chapters of verse and prose.

Raina Telgemeier, author of Sisters and Smile.

Sinner wasn’t the only companion novel on the roster—Raina Telgemeier discussed her novel Sisters (August), the companion to her award-winning memoir Smile (Graphix, 2010) about the tumultuous relationship between Raina and her younger sister, Amara. There's something here for all your patrons; everyone from kids to teen readers is sure to get a kick out of these new titles. See the Scholastic Fall 2014 Online Preview here.