James Patterson to Give Over $70,000 in Book Gift Certificates to College-Bound High School Students

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Number one bestselling author James Patterson is launching a new program to support college-bound high school students. "Book Dollars for Scholars" is a contest open to high school seniors who will have an opportunity to win one of fifty-six gift certificates, ranging from $250 to $5,000 apiece, for use at any IndieBound-affiliated independent bookstore.

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To win the certificates, high school students can visit www.JamesPatterson.com and enter into and win an essay contest. The question is "How has your favorite book inspired you toward what you'd like to do in life?" The fifty-six students whose applications, which will be read by James Patterson and select members from his ReadKiddoRead.com board, show the most creative thoughts on how books can energize real-life pursuits will receive the following: one of eight first-place awards of $5,000 apiece; one of eight second-place awards of $2,500 apiece; or one of forty third-place awards of $250 apiece. This contest is sponsored by Patterson, who has chosen to work with IndieBound to provide gift certificates for the contest winners, who will be able to use those certificates to purchase books at book stores that belong to IndieBound.

James Patterson has spanned six of the New York Times bestseller lists, with 59 bestselling titles and 41 number one bestsellers. His dedication to getting kids reading prompted him to start writing the now-bestselling series Maximum Ride, Daniel X, and Witch & Wizard, and he is the current Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year." He has also started a website, ReadKiddoRead.com, which recommends the best books out there, to make kids readers for life.

On Book Dollars for Scholars, Patterson says, "My hope with this award is to help students going to college — where they'll be immersed in textbooks and great classics, and be under pressure to succeed — to maintain their interest in enjoying a good book for fun. I'm looking forward to reading the entries!"  

The contest winners' certificates will be redeemable at any IndieBound–affiliated bookstore. For a list of these bookstores, or to find the independent bookstore closest to you, visit www.IndieBound.org.

JamesPatterson.com will begin taking essay contest entries on September 10, 2010; the deadline is December 31, 2010. Winners will be announced nationally on February 1, 2011.  

About James Patterson

Since his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson's books have sold more than 205 million copies worldwide.  His Alex Cross series, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, is the most popular detective series of the past

twenty-five years.  In total, his Maximum Ride, Daniel X, and Witch & Wizard series for younger readers have spent more than 200 weeks on national bestseller lists, and all three series are in Hollywood development.  His lifelong passion for books and reading led James Patterson to launch the website ReadKiddoRead.com to give adults an easy way to locate the very best books for kids. He writes full time and lives in Florida with his family.

SOURCE Little, Brown and Company