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James Patterson Agrees That Reading is FUNdamental

Literacy Partners and John Freeman Lead Winners of The 3rd Annual James Patterson PageTurner Awards

NEW YORK, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- James Patterson announced today the 34 U.S. winners and 3 Canadian winners of the 3rd annual James Patterson PageTurner Awards. Winners will receive cash prizes totaling $250,000. Among them are libraries, schools, bookstores, and innovative individuals and organizations that go to extraordinary lengths to spread the FUN of books and reading across the country.

With recent reports showing a decline in reading among adults and teens, and federal budget cuts reducing book distribution, the promotion of books and reading is more important than ever. James Patterson's true passion has always been to get people of all ages excited about books and reading, and for years he has proudly supported people and organizations who dedicate themselves to keeping the fun and excitement of books and reading alive. This year's PageTurner Award winners are the cream of the crop, from Literacy Partners Inc., an organization that provides adult and family literacy programs that teach reading, writing and employment preparation skills so that all New Yorkers can succeed in day-to-day living; to an individual, John Freeman of the National Book Critics Circle, who has dedicated his time and energy to fighting the trend toward reduction of book coverage in the media nationwide. And, in Canada, Frontier College has been tackling illiteracy all across Canada since 1899!

Mr. Patterson is also honoring a brilliant Web site that allows children to experience reading in a new and powerful way and that is used in hundreds of public school and library systems; a man who endorses the power of reading with original rock songs and who has been called "part Monty Python, part Dr. Seuss" (Washington Post); and a woman who wrote and starred in a one-woman show to get people reading, which toured high schools, universities, bookstores, and more. And the inspiring list goes on!

Patterson says: "This year's winners are doing great work and at a time when getting people excited about reading and books is especially important. I'm thrilled to help them do what they do so well." The winners truly embody the spirit and energy of the PageTurner Awards -- to spread the excitement of books and reading as far and wide as is humanly possible. And for that, we salute them all!

The 2007 James Patterson PageTurner Award Winners are:

$50,000 U.S. PageTurner Winner:

* Organization: Literacy Partners | New York, NY

For 35 years, Literacy Partners has provided high-quality, free, community-based adult and family literacy programs to more than 25,000 New York City residents to ensure that all adults have access to the education needed to fully realize their potential as individuals, parents, and citizens. Classes are offered twelve months of the year at ten sites in New York City, including Harlem and the South Bronx. Each year at the Literacy Partners annual gala the program includes "An Evening of Readings," which has featured such top published authors as Tom Wolfe, Wally Lamb, Sue Monk Kidd, Michael Crichton, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, to name a few. Literacy Partners students also take the stage to read their own work and thank the attendees for their ongoing support of the organization. Honorary chairman and media maven Liz Smith says about her involvement with Literacy Partners: "The printed word has been so central to my life that I can't imagine living without the ability to read and write. Making this possible for others who are denied these skills is a profound and thrilling experience."

For more information, please visit http://www.literacypartners.org .


$25,000 U.S. Winners:

* Individual: John Freeman | New York, NY

It's no secret that book coverage in the media dwindles from year to year. John Freeman, president of the National Book Critics Circle, took on this giant issue almost single-handedly by launching a national campaign to bring back book coverage. He solicited, edited, and posted more than a hundred essays about the importance of reading, the necessity of criticism, and the role communities can play in their own newspapers. When the book editor position at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was eliminated, Freeman flew to Atlanta and led a peaceful protest from which grew a petition to reinstate the job signed by nearly 7,000 people, including Sara Paretsky and the late Norman Mailer. Freeman moderates panels and continues to actively develop programs about this issue.

* Organization: One More Story | New York, NY

One More Story is an online library of the best of children's classic and contemporary literature. Through a simple point-and-click process, children can choose a book, see the illustrations, and have the book read aloud to them. Each story is professionally narrated and accompanied by original music. As the narrator reads, words are individually highlighted in the text box at the bottom of the screen. Children can also mute the sound and read the book aloud themselves. If a word is unfamiliar, the child can click on it and hear the word spoken by the narrator. One More Story provides a reading experience that is both stimulating and interactive for kids everywhere!

* Organization: First Book Marketplace | Washington, DC

First Book Marketplace, a subsidiary of the award-winning nonprofit organization First Book, is an online store that sells high-quality children's books at deeply discounted prices to organizations serving children from low-income families. The Marketplace, developed by a team of people with private-sector heads and public-sector hearts, offers new books at an average cost of just $1.85 to Title I Schools, Head Start centers, after-school programs, and local initiatives. The Marketplace continues to negotiate bulk book purchases for underserved schools and programs.

U.S. PageTurner Award Winners
Listed in alphabetical order

$5,000

* Behind the Book | New York, NY
* Gemini Ink | San Antonio, TX
* Ann Kent, Community Organizer | Santa Cruz, CA
* Diane Luby Lane, Playwright | Los Angeles, CA
* Jennifer Pierce, Nonprofit Founder | Tampa, FL
* Pushcart Press | Wainscott, NY
* Thaddeus Rex | Chicago, IL
* Small Press Distribution | Berkeley, CA
* Word for Word/Z Space Studio | San Francisco, CA
* Pat Wyman, Educator | Windsor, CA


$2,500

* The After School Corporation | * Bensley Elementary School |
New York, NY Richmond, VA

* Books to Prisoners c/o Left * Cleveland County Schools AIG |
Bank Books | Seattle, WA Shelby, NC

* Dr. Geraldine Haggard, Book * Harlem RBI, Inc. |
Advocate | Plano, TX New York, NY

* Jump Street/A New Diversion * Sandra Kowalczyk, Educator |
Magazine | Harrisburg, PA Marshall, WI

* Literacy Inc. | New York, NY * Trudy Marshall, Librarian, Charity
Organizer | Pflugerville, TX

* Doncella Milton, Organizer | * Murder by the Book Mystery
Laurel, MS Bookstore | Houston, TX

* National Braille Press | * Operation Paperback |
Boston, MA Lubbock, TX

* Philadelphia Alumni Writers * Read Aloud Delaware |
House | Lancaster, PA Wilmington, DE

* Reader Girlz | Bellevue, WA * Floyd Stokes, National
Educator | Harrisburg, PA

* Thurber House | Columbus, OH * United Through Reading |
San Diego, CA


Canadian PageTurner Award Winners

* Organization ($25,000): Frontier College | Toronto, ON

Since 1899, Canada's original literacy organization, Frontier College has been spreading the excitement of reading and learning across Canada. Twenty-five hundred volunteers work with over 260 community partners in inner city schools, community centers, women's shelters, churches, youth detention centers and prisons, not only teaching and mentoring, but training and connecting communities to local resources and other programs. In addition, over 15,000 people have benefited from the organization's homework clubs, one-on-one tutoring, reading circles and summer programs.

$2,500

* Canadian Children's Book Centre | Toronto, ON
* Arnie Stewart, Literacy Advocate | Minesing, ON


For more information about the 2007 winners, please visit:
http://www.pattersonpageturner.org

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