James Patterson – The School Library Superhero

James Patterson is an author who puts his money where his mouth is, the author who is widely known for his Alex Cross novels is continuing to donate tens of thousands of dollars to libraries across America. His campaign is mirrored by The Scholastic Reading Club who match Patterson’s donations dollar for dollar.

This month he alongside the Scholastic Reading Club will be donating a total of $8,000 ($4,000 each) to Trickum Middle School in Gwinnett County in order for them to update their library. The school was selected from a list of over 28,000 applicants and will use the grant to create a Superhero room and update their Superhero Graphic Novel section to go alongside a huge Superhero mural which is currently being painted by local graphic artist Chris Rumble.

Mr Patterson, along with The Scholastic Reading Club have made a pledge to save School Libraries and books around the United States and last year alone  Patterson donated $1.75 million to 467 school libraries nationwide which consisted of  grants that ranged from $1,000 to $10,000.

For his efforts in ensuring that Americans of all ages continue to have access to books Patterson was awarded the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, which cited him as a “passionate campaigner to make books and reading a national priority.”

Here’s to James Patterson, a literary superhero who is bringing the joy of books to children across America school by school.