About the Holiday

Today’s holiday rolled onto the calendar in 2020, sparked by Chris Nieratko, a skate journalist and shop owner, and Scotty Coats, whose career was in music. They wanted to help skate shop owners survive the winter downturn in sales. Inspired by Record Store Day, which takes place on the third Saturday in April each year, the pair designed the holiday to draw attention to skate shops. They invited skateboarding brands to create unique decks, wheels, and shirts that could only be found in local shops to sell on that day. Skate shops aren’t just places to find gear, though. They’re warm, welcoming spaces where friendships are made over shared stories and tricks, local shopkeepers are supported, and community built. To celebrate today, visit your local skate shop, gear up for warmer weather, and feel the love!

Thank you to Scholastic for sharing a digital copy of this book with me for review!

Selena the Sunflower Dragon (Dragon Girls #19)

By Maddy Mara

One sunny day while Selena and her friends Charlotte and Layla were at the skate park, Selena noticed a patch of beautiful sunflowers growing nearby even though it was winter. She then smelled a fragrant aroma of flowers all around her and heard a faint sound of singing: “Magic Forest, Magic Forest, come explore . . . .” She paid little attention as she was excited to begin skating. As she sped through the half-pipe, though, she didn’t change direction at the top but was magically transported to a forest full of flowers. The silent air smelled like warm hot chocolate. And Selena herself had become a Dragon Girl with powerful yellow wings and sharp talons!

Selena had hardly taken this in when she met a beautiful bug named Dottie who told her that she was Selena’s Questie and would be helping Selena on her quest. Dottie also revealed Selena had transformed into a Sunflower Dragon Girl. Dottie led Selena to the garden of the Tree Queen. Here, Selena discovered that Charlotte had become a Rose Dragon and Layla a Water Lily Dragon.

The Tree Queen revealed that the Fury Queen was using Pufferbugs to put everything in the Magic Forest to sleep with her chocolate-scented potion so that she could take over. The Flower Dragons are the forest’s only hope, the Tree Queen said. To break the Fury Queen’s spell, the Dragon Girls must find the right wake-up scent, a special liquid to dissolve it in, and a bottle to hold the potion.

The Tree Queen pointed them in the right direction, and when Selena, Layla, and Charlotte discovered that they could skate the air currents, allowing them to fly at top speed, they were off on an adventure! They met Fearcats, restored pollen-making power to moonflowers, and flew into a thunderstorm all while dodging Pufferbugs and finding creative ways to use their skateboarding skills and their friendship to make the perfect potion. But can the three best friends stay awake long enough to save the forest?

A sneak peek at Dragon Girls: Charlotte the Rose Dragon, #20 in the Dragon Girls series follows the story.

A new Dragon Girls book by Maddy Mara is always highly anticipated, and their latest story rewards the wait with the series’ signature combination of magical adventures, friendship, humor, and girl power that makes the series so popular. Lightly illustrated, the story invites readers to imagine the details of the Magic Forest and its inhabitants as well as Selena’s, Charlotte’s, and Layla’s transformations as dragons. Needing to solve problems to complete their mission, the three friends also model positive cooperation and critical-thinking skills. Of course, it’s all wrapped in the fun, fast-paced storytelling that delights fans and keeps them wanting more.

Ages 7 – 10

Scholastic, 2026 | ISBN 979-8225018344

About the Authors

Maddy Mara is the pen name of Australian creative duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger. Hilary is a writer and former publisher; Meredith is a writer and teaches English as a second language. Together they have written or created many bestselling series for kids, including Dragon Girls, Dragon Games, and Forever Fairies. Dragon Girls has over 1.5 million copies in print and is available in multiple countries and languages. They live on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people in Melbourne, Australia. You can visit them at maddymara.com.