Patterson, Scholastic team up on new literacy initiative

By HILLEL ITALIE
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — With a donation of $1.5 million from author James Patterson, Scholastic Book Clubs has launched “The United States of Readers.” It’s a classroom program designed to address literacy inequity. Scholastic announced Monday that United States of Readers will help bring books to 32,000 kids nationwide, grades K-8, from low-income families. Patterson is one of the world’s bestselling novelists. He has already donated more than $10 million to teachers and students through Scholastic. Patterson says he’s been working his whole career to get kids reading because he believes illiteracy is one of the biggest challenges the country faces.