Business
Scholastic Book Clubs and James Patterson Launch "The United States of Readers" to Battle Inequity in Literacy
Scholastic to provide 32,000 students in 1,500 classrooms with increased book access, supported by $1.5 million donation from bestselling author James
About this update from Scholastic Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"Scholastic to provide 32,000 students in 1,500 classrooms with increased book access, supported by $1.5 million donation from bestselling author James Patterson\n\n\nNEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic Book Clubs announced today the launch of The United States of Readers™, a first-of-its-kind classroom program dedicated to bridging the gap of literacy inequity. Created by Scholastic Book Clubs and funded in its pilot year with a $1.5 million donation from bestselling author and literacy advocate James Patterson, The United States of Readers will provide 32,000 pre-K to 8 students in 1,500 classrooms from all 50 states, as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico, with increased access to books. The participating schools represent rural, suburban and urban areas, are all at least 75% Title I, and do not currently participate in Scholastic Book Clubs. Patterson's $1.5 million donation to sponsor The United States of Readers' inaugural year adds to the $11 million he has already donated to teachers and schools through Scholastic Book Clubs since 2015.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nIdentical to the original Clubs model—including teacher administration of the program, delivery to the classroom, and the large variety of quality, diverse, kid-appealing books available to all grade levels—The United States of Readers' flyers will be missing one thing: prices listed for the books. Without prices, the program guarantees every child an opportunity to participate, choosing two books they want to read and personally own, five times a year at no cost to students, families or schools. \nTo learn more about United States of Readers, visit: https://unitedstatesofreaders.scholastic.com/ \n\"At Scholastic Book Clubs, we have been working with classroom teachers in every state in the country for decades, and are proud of how our book order forms have created an affordable way to reach kids with the books they want to read,\" said Judy Newman, President and Reader-in-Chief of Scholastic Book Clubs. \"It's become increasingly clear, however, that in so many communities around the country even our affordable offerings are out of reach for some families, and teachers are having to pay for the books themselves. We knew we needed to come up with an alternative to our tried and true model, because every child needs to be able to choose and own books, and ...