Be a Book Hero

Last year Austin students raised over $125,000 and read 1.5 million pages.  Through participation in Read-A-Thon , students read as much as they can, solicit donations from friends and family for their efforts, and earn fun incentive prizes.  Students then record the amount of time and number of pages they read on printed pledge/log forms provided by BookSpring .  At the end of the two-week Read-A-Thon, BookSpring collects the log forms and tallies results.

While some students are natural readers, others may not be so excited about reading.  Read-A-Thon is a fun program for more reluctant readers with competition, prizes, and a lot of extra encouragement and also gives children an incentive to take off with reading.

Through Read-A-Thon students engage in community service and learn about literacy challenges facing many children in poverty.  They are able to spread awareness and educate others about the hardships facing children who grow up without literacy resources.  By participating in Read-A-Thon, students can raise funds to support many of BookSpring's programs that will provide the necessary tools to children and their families so they can develop a desire to read and succeed in school. 

As part of Read-A-Thon, members of the KXAN News Today morning team will be visiting several schools in the area to read their favorite book to students.

1/22 - Bridge Point Elementary - Sally Hernandez
1/25 - Gullett Elementary - Brian Sanders
1/29 - Casis Elementary - Amanda Dugan
1/30 - Hill Country Middle - Jim Spencer
2/05 - Doss Elementary - Mark Monstrola
2/06 - O. Henry Middle - Leslie Rhode

See below for a list of bestsellers by age group, including some timeless classics. 

3-5 Years:
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus - Mo Williams
How I Became a Pirate - Melinda Long
Pinkalicious - Victoria Kahn
Green Eggs & Ham - Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak

6-8 Years:
How to Drive Your Sister Crazy - Diane Z. Shore
Horton Hears a Who - Dr. Seuss
Yertle the Turtle - Dr. Seuss
Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein

9-12 Years:
The Complete Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney
Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & The Olympians - Rick Riordan
Mark of Athena - Rick Riordan

Teens:
The Twilight Saga - Stephenie Meyer
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Here - Denise Grover Swank
A Quest of Heroes - Morgan Rice

2013 Children's Book Award winners include:
This Is Not My Hat - Jon Klassen
The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate and Patricia Castelao
In Darkness - Nick Lake

The 2013 Read-A-Thon is proudly presented by

KXAN would like to thank