James Patteron PageTurner 2006 Award Winners!

Dear Pulpwood Queens and Beauty and the Booklovers!

It's OFFICIAL! The James Patterson PageTurner 2006 Awards were announced today and I was one of them! Now there is no stopping me on my literacy promoting adventures! Onward and upward literacy promoting soldiers!

Read below the press release that I have copied and pasted to this letter!

Tiara wearing, Book, and Award sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
Founder of The Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michelle Aielli Heather Rizzo
James Patterson Publicity Manager Executive Director of Publicity, Little, Brown & Co.
212-364-1223 212-364-1495

WORD SPREAD WIDER, THE STAKES GREW HIGHER.
THIS YEAR’S WINNERS WILL ASTOUND YOU

JAMES PATTERSON ANNOUNCES THE
2006 $500,000 PAGETURNER AWARD WINNERS

New York, NY, March 2, 2007: James Patterson announced today — NEA’s national Read Across America day — the 39 winners of the 2006 James Patterson PageTurner Awards, who will receive cash prizes totaling $500,000. Among the winners are libraries, schools, bookstores, and innovative individuals and organizations that go to extraordinary lengths to spread the joy of books and reading across the country.

From the Washington Center for the Book in Seattle, who started the breakthrough — and now widespread — “One Book” program, to the nonprofit organization 826 National, which works tirelessly to encourage creativity in children of all ages by providing enthralling reading and writing experiences, this year’s winners come from 34 cities in 23 states, and their amazing efforts reach as far as troops stationed in the Middle East and underprivileged children in Botswana, Africa.

Mr. Patterson is also honoring an elementary school principal who got his students geared up about reading by skydiving out of a plane; a New Orleans literary festival that continues to bring excitement and fun to a community still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Katrina; a California “Bookseller of the Year,” dedicated to her cause since 1977, who hosts more than 600 author events a year; a Queens librarian who let kids in her community dye her hair purple to prove that reading actually can be fun; an African American Read-In program that brings in local heroes such as a pro football Hall of Famer turned Supreme Court justice to get the community excited about reading; and a national organization whose mission is to provide as many underprivileged children with their “first book” ever. And the overwhelming list goes on.

James Patterson says, “I love being able to help those who spread the word that reading a book is still one of the great joys in our lives.” This year’s winners truly embody the spirit and energy of the PageTurner Awards — to spread the excitement of books and reading as far and wide as humanly possible. And for that, we salute them all!

The 2006 James Patterson PageTurner Award winners are:


$100,000 PageTurner of the Year Award:

Washington Center for the Book Seattle, WA
In 1996, well-known librarian and radio host Nancy Pearl (one of last year’s PageTurner merit winners and the model for a librarian action figure to boot!) helped create a fun, innovative concept: what if one entire city could come together to read, learn about, and enjoy the same book? And so, two years later, “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” was formed — literally bringing the whole city together through the power of one book. Run by the Washington Center for the Book and retitled “Seattle Reads,” this program soon caught on nationwide, and now over 450 different locations across the country, ranging from Los Angeles to the nation’s capital, host their own “One Book” events.


$50,000 PageTurner Champion Awards:

University of Minnesota’s African American Read-In Minneapolis, MN
Now in its 18th year, the African American Read-In at the University of Minnesota is an annual celebration aimed at incorporating black literature into the community during Black History Month each February. With literary workshops, school-oriented programs, and noted speakers — like local hero Alan Page, a pro football Hall of Famer and current Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court—the Read-Ins affect at least 12,000 community members each year in Minnesota alone, with the ultimate goal of helping participants to develop a lifelong love of reading together as a family and as a community.

826 National San Francisco, CA
Based in San Francisco but with offices in New York, L.A., Seattle, Ann Arbor, and Chicago, this nonprofit organization, cofounded by author Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), is focused on improving children’s reading and writing skills while encouraging creativity. The organization is so popular that even famous funnymen like Jon Stewart, Ben Stiller, and Will Ferrell have joined in, lending their names and time to help raise money at 826 fund-raisers across the country.

All Hallows High School Bronx, NY
All Hallows High School is located in the poorest congressional district in the United States. Due to a dedicated staff, a required “Drop Everything and Read” (D.E.A.R) program, numerous reading and writing–based curriculums, as well as a strong schoolwide mentoring program, All Hallows High has increased SAT verbal scores by 16% and AP English scores by 40% since its inception. In 1998 the entire graduating class was accepted into four-year colleges, and the school has since maintained a near-perfect college acceptance rate. With national outlets like the Wall Street Journal highlighting their phenomenal progress and visits from the likes of native New Yorker film director Spike Lee, All Hallows High is garnering attention each year for its ability to educate and nurture students to become the best they can be.

First Book Washington, DC
First Book was founded in 1992 with the sole mission to get a first book into the hands of every child that comes from an underprivileged family. In their first year they gave out over 12,000 books; now they work with over 1,300 communities nationally, with outreach and book distributions close to 40 million. Countless celebrities, like Reba McEntire, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, and even former Secretary of State Colin Powell have helped to support First Book — named one of ten “Gold Star” charities by Forbes magazine in 2003 — with their worthy cause over the years.




$10,000 PageTurner Par Excellence Awards:

The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library Nashville, TN
Actress/Singer/Songwriter Dolly Parton started this program in 1996 as a way to help children in her hometown realize a love of reading from the earliest age possible. The idea has grown into an initiative that gives out over 2.5 million books annually. Currently, over 600 cities in 40 states have implemented the Imagination Library. In 2000, Dolly received an Association of American Publishers (AAP) honor, and just last year she donated the proceeds of her cookbook sales to benefit the library.

Family Literacy Foundation San Diego, CA
Since winning a 2005 James Patterson PageTurner award, the Family Literacy Foundation has increased its outreach by almost 100,000 people. Through its main reading-related programs, United Through Reading, Building Bridges with Books, and Youth Reading Role Models, the foundation has clocked over 204,000 volunteer hours working to reinforce and foster relationships between children and their parents, family members, and friends through reading. Even First Lady Laura Bush has become involved, serving as the honorary chair of the United Through Reading program, which allows deployed U.S. soldiers to read books to their children via video, enabling troops to stay connected with their loved ones back home.

Books for Boys at the Children's Village Dobbs Ferry, NY
Another 2005 James Patterson PageTurner winner, Books for Boys at the Children’s Village is a unique and innovative program that utilizes a staff of teachers, librarians, and volunteers to read and share books with at-risk youth ages 6–21. Their projects include a visiting author series, internship programs that allow college students to work with the boys over the summer, and various mentoring programs. Even CSI: New York actor-author Hill Harper stopped by recently to read and talk to the boys!

Pam Shelton, Botswana Book Project Botswana, Africa
Pam Shelton is a United States citizen who quit her job after 25 years as a Vermont librarian to move to the African country of Botswana. Pam set out to create much-needed libraries in schools throughout Botswana. Her mission was to get books shipped into the country so that children of all ages could learn to read — something they can’t do if they do not have the resources — and it proved to be no small feat. With the help of Books for Africa, she has brought and distributed more than 300,000 books in Botswana in just under 10 years.

Behind the Book New York, NY
The nonprofit organization Behind the Book works with low-income youth in New York City public schools, grades K–12. Its motto is “Creating opportunities for tomorrow through creative reading experiences today.” The organization reinforces the excitement and importance of reading while emphasizing literacy skills and offering unwavering support to children working to further their education. Behind the Book was honored last year as a James Patterson PageTurner winner, and since then the organization has almost doubled its outreach.

Purvis J. Behan P.S. 11 Brooklyn, NY
P.S. 11 is a New York City public school located in Brooklyn. A Title 1 school (set to ensure the academic achievement of the underprivileged) with close to 500 pre-K to fifth-grade students, the school lacks the necessary funds and donations to keep its library and classrooms stocked with books. Despite this, the school has continuously dedicated its time and energy to promote reading and literacy not only to the students, but to their parents and community as well. It holds an annual Book Bash for all students (which has raised thousands of dollars to improve the school’s library) as well as an annual Pajama Party (hugely popular with the students, who come to the gym-turned-huge-slumber-party dressed in their pajamas) and Read-a-thons aimed to teach kids that reading is an important, lifelong, and, most of all, fun part of their futures.


$5,000 PageTurner Award winners:
Listed in alphabetical order

2nd Chance Books, Austin Public Library Austin, TX
Books for Soldiers Winston-Salem, NC
Debra McKee, Laundry Basket Library Mansfield, OH
Decatur Book Festival Decatur, GA
Elaine Petrocelli, Book Passage Corte Madera, CA
Emma Rodgers, Black Images Book Bazaar Dallas, TX
Harlem RBI’s REAL Kids Summer Literacy Program New York, NY
Huckleberry Hill School, Fit and Lit Program Lynnfield, MA
Jill Lamar, Barnes & Noble New York, NY
John and Sharon Bushell Homer, AK
Kathy Patrick, Beauty and the Book Jefferson, TX
Kendra Cullin, Borders, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI
Literacy, Inc. New York, NY
Main Street Automotive Magnet School, Comic Book Program Dayton, OH
Mary Yockey, Anderson’s Bookshop Naperville, IL
Morningside Elementary, Reading Restaurant Library Program Brownsville, TX
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children Baltimore, MD
Paul Ingram, Prairie Lights Iowa City, IA
Peggy Faul, Badges with Books Ferguson, MO
The Poisoned Pen Phoenix, AZ
Principal Scott Owens, W. G. Rhea Elementary School Paris, TN
Roosevelt Brown, Reading Literacy Learning, Inc. San Diego, CA
R. J. Julia Bookshop Madison, CT
San Miguel Academy of Newburgh Newburgh, NY
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Columbia, SC
Susan Scatena, Queens Library Queens, NY
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival New Orleans, LA
University of Southern California Literacy Programs Los Angeles, CA

For more information on the 2006 winners, please visit:

www.pattersonpageturner.org