James Patterson Donates $1.25 Million to Classroom Libraries

Famed author James Patterson, most well known for his series of Alex Cross and Michael Bennett books, has made a pledge of $1.25 million for classroom libraries. As abc15 reports, on Tuesday, Patterson revealed his fifth installment for his Patterson Partnership charity, which was formed in partnership with the Scholastic Book Club. Patterson’s donating $250 to 4,000 teachers around the United States to help purchase books.

Patterson is also donating $500 to 500 teachers with less than three years experience. Scholastic will be matching Patterson’s contributions with gifts of 250 and 500 points for its book club. Teachers who are interested in applying for the grant can do so HERE, but hurry, the deadline is July 31.

Over the years, Patterson has donated million of dollars to schools, as well as independent booksellers and literacy programs. In a statement made last week Patterson said that illiteracy is a “daunting issue” and that making sure children have access to books is “an excellent place to start.”