Friday, February 6, 2009

ReadKiddoRead

It should come as no surprise that James Patterson has another new book out. Run for Your Life, which is coauthored with Michael Ledwidge, is a continuation of his newest series with unlikely hero Detective Mike Bennett. What makes Patterson such a popular author? Could it be that he has written something for everyone ? Mystery fans are familiar with Alex Cross and the Women’s Murder Club. If you prefer romance, you are probably familiar with Sam's Letters to Jennifer, Sundays at Tiffany's or my personal favorite, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Who hasn’t fantasized about joining Max and the gang in the young adult series, Maximum Ride? Have I left anyone out? Oh yes, what about younger children?

No, I’m not going to tell you about Patterson’s new picture book. Although he has always been a huge supporter of children’s literacy, giving away more than $600,000 between 2005 and 2007 through his annual PageTurner Awards, he realized there had to be a better way to get kids excited about reading. From that idea was born his newest PageTurner project, ReadKiddoRead.com.
“One of the best ways to get kids reading is to find books they love,” Patterson explains to Publishers Weekly. “There are millions of kids who’ve never read a book they liked. I always say that if movies were taught in school and they started with Ingmar Bergman, we wouldn’t like movies.” His goal is to get kids reading by helping parents and educators choose books they won’t want to put down.

If you are a parent, grandparent, teacher or librarian, this site is a well organized place to find exactly what your young readers are craving from the best of the best illustrated books to great advanced reads. There is no pressure to buy, but if you do decide to make a purchase, the IndieBound Link is clearly visible. Better yet, stop in and visit us and let us help you choose.