Volunteers to Give Free Books Away in Reading April 23

The following was submitted by the Reading Public Library:

Who is giving out free books all across america on april 23? We are!

From Kodiak, Alaska, to Key West, Florida, to Reading, MA, in 6,000 towns and cities across America, volunteers will give away half a million free books on one day: April 23, 2012. Some of the volunteers will be picking up their books at the and then going out into the community in order to share them in locations across town and in nearby communities.

World Book Night U.S. is an ambitious campaign to give away a half million free, specially printed books across America. Volunteer book lovers will help promote reading by going out and personally giving free copies of a book they enjoy to new or light readers, reaching them especially in underserved places – and even some fun spots.

We at the Reading Public Library are proud to be a partner in the first World Book Night in the U.S., following the impressive launch of this campaign by our bookselling and publishing colleagues in the UK and Ireland last year.

A World Book Night U.S. author, for her book Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo added: “It makes perfect sense to me that World Book Night will take place in spring. Extending your hand to give someone a book, a story, is a gesture of hope and joy. It is a chance for all of us, givers and receivers, to break into blossom.”

The books were chosen by a panel of booksellers and librarians through several rounds of voting. The printing of the free books was possible due to generosity of the authors, publishers, and book manufacturing companies.

Be on the lookout Monday, April 23, for volunteer book givers in our community!