The Spring Fling Fundraiser: Building Personal Libraries for Middle School Students

The Spring Fling Fundraiser is a wonderful initiative aimed at generating funds to purchase 300 books for middle school students and libraries. This program is set to jumpstart or enhance their personal libraries, encouraging a love for reading and learning. The American Reading Council (501c3) and The Dock Bookshop have partnered to help build these libraries and inspire families to invest in great books for young minds.

Partnering for a Purpose

The collaboration between the American Reading Council and The Dock Bookshop is a powerful one. By joining forces, they are able to identify impactful books that will not only enrich the personal libraries of students but also ignite their imaginations and open up a world of possibilities. Through this partnership, they have selected seven incredible books for this initiative:

“Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy” by Angie Thomas
“Polo Cowboy” by G. Neri
“Shot Clock” by Caron Butler and Justin A. Reynolds
“Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew” by DaVaun Sanders
“Running in Flip-Flops From the End of the World” by Justin A. Reynolds
“Ways to Build Dreams” by Renée Watson
“Africana: An encyclopedia of an amazing continent” by Mayowa Alabi, Kim Chakanetsa

These books have been carefully chosen to engage and inspire young readers, sparking their imaginations and fostering a love for reading that will last a lifetime.

Spring Fling Fundraiser is a fantastic opportunity to support the next generation of readers and learners. By donating to this cause, you are helping to build personal libraries, ignite imaginations, and open up a world of possibilities for middle school students. Join us in this important mission and make a difference today!

About Author

Angie Thomas is the author of the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novels The Hate U Give, On the Come Up, and Concrete Rose as well as Find Your Voice: A Guided Journal for Writing Your Truth. She is also a coauthor of the bestselling collaborative novels Blackout and Whiteout.

About Authors

G. Neri is the author of the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty along with many other books for young readers, including Ghetto Cowboy; Hello, I’m Johnny Cash; and When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon and Garfunkel. His books have been translated into multiple languages in more than twenty-five countries.

Jesse Joshua Watson is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including the New York Times best-selling Hank Zipzer series, written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, and Ghetto Cowboy and Chess Rumble,both written by G. Neri. He lives with his wife and sons in Washington. translated into multiple languages in more than twenty-five countries.

About Authors

Caron Butler is a former two-time NBA all-star who played for fourteen seasons. He is currently an assistant coach for the Miami Heat and previously was a TV commentator on ESPN, NBC, TNT, and NBA TV. His memoir, Tuff Juice: My Journey from the Streets to the NBA, was published by Lyons Press in 2016. Tuff Juice is being produced as a film by Mark Wahlberg. Caron is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist. He created the Butler Elite Basketball Program and the 3D foundation.

Justin A. Reynolds has always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his debut YA novel, was an Indies Introduce selection and a School Library Journal Best Book and has been translated into nineteen languages. His second YA novel, Early Departures, was a Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book of the Year. His debut middle grade, a Miles Morales graphic novel titled Shock Waves, was an indie bestseller.

About Author

DaVaun Sanders currently serves as publisher and executive editor for the award-winning FIYAH Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. His short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy and elsewhere.

About Authors

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include the Ryan Hart series, Some Places More Than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, and Love is a Revolution…

Lagos-based multidisciplinary artist, Mayowa Alabi’s work is inspired by his childhood obsessions—African folklore and Afrofuturism. A graphic designer and photographer with over seven years of professional design experience, Mayowa previously worked as the Creative Lead at Co-Creation Hub Nigeria before taking on his current role as a visual artist for the BBC.

Kim Chakanetsa is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and producer from Zimbabwe. She joined the BBC in 2013 after working for CNN International and Associated Press. For BBC World Service, she currently presents a weekly radio programme called The Conversation, which brings together women from different countries who have a shared profession, passion or experience. She has also worked on a number of documentaries for the World Service.