Oline Cogdill
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Is there any reader who doesn’t know the name James Patterson?

Patterson’s millions of mega-best sellers, many of which are written with a co-author, are published at an astounding rate.

While Patterson is best known for his thrillers, especially his Alex Cross novels, he has written several children’s books and, as a result, has done much for literacy among young readers.
Patterson, who has twice been named Author of the Year by Children’s Choice Book Award, is making another leap for children’s literacy.

Patterson
is teaming up with two-time Miami Heat champion and New York Times bestselling author Dwyane Wade (A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger than Basketball) for a national online webcast for kids across the country. The project is called One on One: Fundamentals with Dwyane Wade and James Patterson.

One on One will highlight the importance of reading for success in life.

It will air at 1 p.m. April 25, 2013, (EST).

The One on One webcast will be available free of charge to schools, libraries, and for home viewing. Visit www.JamesPattersonEvents.com, where viewers can sign up in advance to watch. Children across the country can submit questions to their favorite author and their favorite NBA superstar in advance via social media. Again, details here.

The webcast will also include special messages from other NBA All-Stars encouraging kids to read.

To gear up for the webcast, the two authors have other events lined up.

On March 21, Patterson and Wade are scheduled to talk about reading with students at Ponce De Leon Middle School in Coral Gables, Florida. Their moderator will be moderated by six-time Emmy Award winner and Miami Heat courtside reporter Jason Jackson.

While Patterson and his publisher, Hachette Book Group, will make a major donation of books in conjunction with the webcast, there is a chance even more kids will receive a book. On March 27, Wade and the Heat are scheduled to play against the Bulls in Chicago. For every point Wade scores, Hachette Book Group will donate 1,000 copies of Patterson books to young readers in the Miami-Dade school system.

While I always root for the Heat—hey, I live in Florida—I will be rooting for the team, and especially Wade, even more.

In the press release, Patterson offered this very timely quote:

Patterson said, “Getting our kids reading is a matter of life and death; this is not about grades or what college these kids might be going to. This is about saving kids’ lives, and if we don’t get our kids reading now, many of them aren’t going to make it. We have to get that light to go off in their heads at an early age — before or around the middle school years. I’m so glad I’m partnering with someone like Dwyane, who gets it — that getting our kids reading is preparing them to face the world.”

According to a press release, One on One is in collaboration with NBA Cares, the Wade’s World Foundation, ReadKiddoRead and Hachette Book Group.
Photo: James Patterson and Dwyane Wade. Photo courtesy Hachette
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