Read Along with Patterson

I admire ThrillerMaster James Patterson’s passion for reading and literacy, even though I am a few dozen novels behind his current output. I will also admit how much I enjoyed, The Jester (2003), a novel he “wrote” in conjunction with Andrew Gross. So I am very pleased to hear hat Patterson is using his position as Britain’s “most loaned” author to promote literacy for the young, during a rare visit to this side of the Atlantic. As reported by Book Trade:

James Patterson will be in the UK in April 2009 to promote an exciting competition run in partnership with the National Literacy Trust (NLT). The ‘James Patterson Extreme Reading Challenge’ is designed to encourage children to read with their dads/male carers.

The ‘James Patterson Extreme Reading Challenge’ is being run in partnership with the NLT’s Reading Champions initiative. It will be launched as a key NLT World Book Day campaign in March 09 and will work with over 3000 schools across the UK. The idea for the initiative came directly from Patterson, who is passionate about getting boys hooked on books from a young age.

The site emphasizes the author’s interest in children’s literacy:

James Patterson says, ‘As a writer, and also as a father, I’m delighted to be working with the National Literacy Trust in really encouraging kids to discover the love of reading. I’ve been actively involved in getting kids to enjoy books in America and it’s great to be able to help bring this message to the UK. The Reading Champions initiative is a wonderful opportunity to encourage us dads to get reading with our sons, what could be better?’

Helen Ginn, Brand Manager at Random House says: ‘Patterson’s writing is always fast and pacy, with short chapters and lots of dialogue--guaranteed to hook male readers especially, and therefore a perfect fit with the National Literacy Trust’s Reading Champions initiative. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X comes in two editions, one specifically for younger readers and one for grown-ups, making it an ideal recommendation for this competition which is all about excitement and reading together’.

You’ll find the whole story here.