Scholastic Media Launches New Magic School Bus Game on Nintendo DS™

NEW YORK, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic Inc., the global children's publishing, education and media company, announced today it will bring The Magic School Bus - the Emmy® Award-winning science adventure series based on the wildly popular Scholastic book series - to the Nintendo DS™ system for the first time. The Magic School Bus: Oceans invites gamers to hop on the bus and explore an ocean teeming with life.  It will be available at retail this fall for $19.99.

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"For twenty five years, The Magic School Bus has allowed children and families to experience the joy of discovery," says Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media, Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc., and Executive Producer of the television series. "We are delighted to bring The Magic School Bus to the Nintendo DS so kids can 'get out there and explore' through a truly immersive and interactive field trip experience that only The Magic School Bus can provide."

Players step into the driver's seat of The Magic School Bus to unlock six levels of the ocean – each time transforming into a new marine vehicle.  With seven games and nearly 200 ocean interactions, players engage in open exploration to navigate ocean areas and sea life.  Players apply knowledge learned throughout the game to answer questions posted by everyone's favorite teacher, Ms. Frizzle.  As levels are unlocked, players can return to the bus to play additional games and to discover more than 100 facts and more than 100 sea animals.  The game is being distributed by Cokem International.

Based on the best-selling Scholastic books written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, the series has over 58 million books in print worldwide. The Emmy award winning television show, sold in 39 countries, currently airs on Qubo in the United States in its 14th consecutive season. The Magic School Bus book app for iTunes debuted for the iPad™ earlier this year and was awarded 4 out of 4 stars by USA TODAY.com and an Editor's Choice Award from The Children's Technology Review. A live show entitled "The Magic School Bus Live: THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE" will launch later this year.

For more information on The Magic School Bus, please visit www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus or Magic School Bus | Scholastic Media Room.

SOURCE Scholastic Corporation