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You are currently browsing the First Book Blog weblog archives for July, 2007.
Archive for July 2007
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What Book Got You Hooked? Voting Closes Today
July 31st, 2007
Diane N.
1 Comment »
Could your state be the next to receive a special distribution of 50,000 new children’s books from First Book? This is your chance!For the last eight weeks, First Book has been asking readers everywhere to help us celebrate our 50 MILLIONTH book given to children in need by telling us what book got you hooked on reading, then voting for the state you’d like to see receive the next 50,000.
Vote Now. Voting closes at the stroke of midnight. Results — including a Top 50 list of the books that got your votes as well as the announcement of the winning state — will be posted on August 1.
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First Book 101
July 31st, 2007
Pat P.
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Have you heard about First Book Advisory Boards, but you’re not quite sure what they are? Are you looking for a unique way to serve your community with great rewards?If so, join us for a First Book 101 conference call on Friday, August 10th at 2:00 pm ET that will help you understand this mystery. We’ll present an overview of First Book and how the Advisory Board model can provide books to children in need in your community. You can register for the call online.
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John Krasinski, Marlee Matlin and Bow Wow are Hooked!
July 27th, 2007
Diane N.
Leave a Comment »To celebrate our 50 millionth book given to children in need, First Book has been asking an eclectic mix of writers, actors, musicians and scholars: “What book got YOU hooked?”
Take a look at some of the celebrities who have joined us in calling attention to the importance of books in the lives of children who would otherwise have few, if any.
For The Office star John Krasinski, it was a no-brainer: “I was always a HUGE fan of all things Roald Dahl. Every book from James and the Giant Peach to The BFG to The Witches, nobody wrote more imaginative stories for kids. These worlds he created had the nonsensical appeal of Dr. Seuss, while at the same time, the characters were all written with wonderful complexities and enormous heart.”
Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin named Judy Blume’s classic Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. “It was the first book that spoke to me as a girl becoming a woman. It changed my outlook on life and let me know I wasn’t the only one out there who thought the things that I thought.”
And for rapper, Bow Wow? No contest. “Curious George books were always my favorite. George was so excited about all of the things he saw because being raised in the jungle everything he saw was new and it made him want to try it all out. George reminds me of myself because as a kid I was just as curious as he was.”
Check out more celebrity favorites — and share your own — on our Web site, now through Tuesday! Voting will close at midnight on July 31. -
Summer Session Takes FBU to Tennessee
July 26th, 2007
Elizabeth M.
Leave a Comment »First Book University (FBU), our training program for Advisory Boards, headed to the land of country music and the Blue Ridge Mountains for the summer session on July 11 and 12. Believe it or not, there is currently no First Book Advisory Board in Nashville.
In an effort to start a new Board, there was an First Book 101 introduction session at the Borders Books & Music in Nashville. The session was well-attended by employees from First Book’s partners SunTrust Mortgage and Borders, as well as members of the community, including the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, the Nashville Predators, and Vanderbilt University.
If you live in the Nashville area and are interested in getting involved, there is a meeting set to get First Book-Nashville up and running on Tuesday, August 7th at 4:00 pm at the United Way.
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Support First Book in Blogathon 2007
July 25th, 2007
Clarissa P.
2 Comments »
For the second year, several bloggers will be raising money for First Book in the Blogathon.If you don’t know what a blogathon is, it’s similar to a marathon, except instead of running, everybody is blogging! Participants in the Blogathon raise money for charity by blogging for 24 hours in a row, everybody at the same time, beginning this Saturday, July 28, at 6:00 am.
Each blogger asks people to sponsor his or her blog. The sponsors pledge to donate a certain dollar amount to the blogger’s chosen charity, either a flat donation, or an amount per hour of blogging.
So far this year, we have 13 bloggers raising money for us, more than last year!
• Potterthon
• Dumb Little Man
• Another Day in the Life of… Amanda
• Read A Book
• The Way to Begin
• Alanna
• Blogging for Books
• Write Stuff
• Putting The ‘Fun’ In ‘Funeral’
• Katherine of Padua
• Nancy’s Baby Names
• STGforDummies
• It’s Wicked Dark Down ThereAll you need to do to sponsor one of these bloggers is go to the list of bloggers on the Blogathon site and view in order of charity to find the bloggers who are raising money for First Book. Once you choose a blogger, just click on “Sponsor this blogger” and follow the instructions.
When the Blogathon is over, you will get an email letting you know if your blogger successfully completed the Blogathon, and if they did you will be asked to make your donation directly on the First Book website. This way, you will know your donation is going directly to us to buy new books for children in need.
And if you’re a blogger, it’s not too late to sign up to participate in the Blogathon. You have until Friday to register your blog.
Thanks for supporting First Book, bloggers!
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Inspiring Students
July 24th, 2007
Nicole T.
2 Comments »Last week Erin and I attended the first annual National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) Convention in Philadelphia, PA. NSCS is a premier honor organization that not only honors academic achievement but also inspires a lifetime of engaged citizenship.
From the minute we arrived at the hotel Thursday evening, we could feel the energy and excitement of the students as everyone was getting checked in and prepared for the opening session. We knew we were in for quite an experience!
After a few opening remarks, the convention was kicked-off with an amazing speaker. Bill Strickland, President & CEO of Manchest Bidwell Corporation, told his incredible story about how he rebuilt a near bankrupt training center in inner-city Pittsburgh into a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired facility where thousands of people have raised themselves out of poverty and into full-time employment.
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Waiting for Harry Potter
July 23rd, 2007
Pat P.
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One of many Harry Potter fans who came to Borders dressed as characters from the seriesHarry Potter mania was alive at Borders in Silver Spring, MD, on Friday night. I encountered the entire clan of wizards and goblins. There was joyous merriment, face painting and plenty to eat.
Fans of Harry waited patiently in line all evening, and as each minute went by the group began to swell to a loud crescendo.
On the stroke of midnight everyone snapped to attention, and one by one we went into the store to claim the treasure: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the gold at the end of the rainbow.
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What book got Edward Norton Hooked?
July 20th, 2007
Diane N.
Leave a Comment »In celebration of our 50 millionth book given to children in need, First Book has been asking: “What book got YOU hooked?” Are you having trouble choosing just one? Don’t feel bad: Edward Norton was too.
When we asked the Fight Club star for the book that made him a reader, he named everything from Dr. Seuss to Susan Cooper’s epic fantasy series The Dark is Rising:
“When I was very young I loved Dr. Seuss more than anything. I probably learned to read through his books. I loved the way he played with words and I still do. I read those books to kids all the time.
Many books had an enormous impact on my imagination and my sense of the world. I loved a series of five books by Susan Cooper called The Dark is Rising. They were very mythic and engaged my fantasy that a young person could look normal on the outside but could be more powerful than people realize. I think they were for me what Harry Potter is to a lot of kids now.
I loved Madeline L’Engels series A Wrinkle in Time for much the same reason. I still think about those stories.”
Check out more celebrity favorites — and share your own — on our Web site, now through July 31!
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A Gilligan’s Island legend anchors herself with First Book at BEA
July 19th, 2007
Chandler A.
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Tina Louise — a Gilligan’s Island legend and longtime reading tutor — recently wrote her first children’s book, When I Grow Up and joined the First Book team to autograph copies for First Book supporters at BookExpo America. Her inspiring story brings nature and the animal kingdom together to encourage children to reach for the stars in anything they do. In the book, Louise cleverly compares the role of an animal or insect side-by-side to what a child can grow up to be. Fireflies glow in the dark; an aspiring actress can shine on the silver screen. Spiders spin elaborate webs; an aspiring architect can create a skyscraper.
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Blogging with NSCS
July 17th, 2007
Nicole T.
Leave a Comment »One of the highlights of my summer is getting to attend conferences and conventions for many of our First Book campus partners. Later this week, Erin and I will be attending the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) Convention in Philadelphia to talk with NSCS members about how they can get involved with First Book.
I went online to get the latest convention schedule and found they were writing a convention blog. It’s very reminiscent of how we launched our blog at BookExpo America 2006. From just a quick email to the blogger, they’ve already posted about First Book and are planning to live-blog during our presentation on Friday. So check back for more posts from the convention!