About the Readathon

Visit our new home at ReadathonDay.com to participate in National Readathon Day on Saturday, May 21, 2016, to benefit the American Library Association.

You might take for granted how easy it is for you to read this sentence, but millions of Americans still struggle with basic literacy. 40% of American adults are either at or below basic reading proficiency, and 14% are fully illiterate. But the trouble doesn’t stop there. Each year, millions of Americans — especially our youth — are losing touch with the power and importance of reading books. As Malcolm X said, “People don’t realize how a whole life can be changed by one book.”

Help change lives this winter by celebrating National Readathon Day with Penguin Random House, GoodReads, Mashable, and the National Book Foundation. Together with your support, we hope to help fund their efforts to educate, tutor, create and sustain a lifelong love of reading.

You can get involved by joining readers across America in a marathon reading session on Saturday, January 24. From Noon – 4 PM in our respective time zones, we will sit and read a book in our own home, library, school or bookstore.

Get started now by creating your own Firstgiving Fundraising page, and inviting friends and family to donate, or visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

If you represent a bookstore, library or school, we invite your venue to host a “reading party” during the Readathon, so your local community can gather and read together. You can also create a fundraising team (named for your bookstore or library), enabling your community to fund raise together as a group to contribute to the National Book Foundation’s efforts to promote reading in America. Visit our Readathon Resources page for supporting materials and information on how to get started.

And be sure to share your experiences and photos using the hash tag, #timetoread!