So far this year, the residents of the Chicago suburb of Naperville have read more than 27,000 Gary Paulsen books, having joined other cities—including Chicago—that recently organized community-wide reading campaigns. The Naperville Reads campaign was organized by a committee made up of public librarians, public school teachers and booksellers from Anderson's Bookshop; the author's agent, Naperville resident Jennifer Flannery, was also brought on board.
The committee's selection of an author, rather than a particular novel, was due to the variety of ages for which Paulsen writes; he has had more than 175 books published, for both adults and children. To promote the program, Paulsen appeared at Anderson's Bookshop, two area high schools and North Central College.
Naperville Reads will continue with another book selection next year, most likely in January. For more information, see www.napervillereads.com.
