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CHS Pics | Gearing up on 10th Ave for World Book Night

Janna Parker will deliver The Book Thief by Markus Zusak via bicycle on her commuter route from Garfield to Ballard High School (Images: Alex Garland)

Community members stopped by Capitol Hill’s Elliott Bay Book Co. to pick up a few books last Thursday night. Nothing extraordinary about that. It’s what they’re going to do with those books that matters. Monday night is World Book Night, “a celebration of reading and books which will see tens of thousands of people share books with others in their communities across America to spread the joy and love of reading on April 23.” You can read more about the event at worldbooknight.org. Below is the 2012 roster of World Book Night titles and a few of the “givers” who stopped by Elliott Bay last week.

The 30 World Book Night U.S. titles for 2012, alphabetical by author, are:

  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

  • Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)

  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Ballantine)

  • Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger (Da Capo)

  • Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (Beacon Press)

  • Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Tor)

  • Little Bee by Chris Cleave (Simon & Schuster)

  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

  • Blood Work by Michael Connelly (Grand Central)


  • The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Riverhead); a Spanish-language edition, La breve y maravillosa vida de Óscar Wao (Vintage Espanol), will also be made available.

  • Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick)

  • Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (Vintage)

  • Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (Grove Atlantic)

  • A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (Algonquin)

  • Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton (Berkley)

  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)

  • A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (Ballantine)

  • The Stand by Stephen King (Anchor)

  • The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Perennial)

  • The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (W.W. Norton)

  • The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri  (Mariner)

  • The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (Mariner)

  • Bel Canto by Ann Patchett  (Perennial)

  • My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Atria)

  • Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (Picador)

  • The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Back Bay)

  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Broadway)

  • Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco)

  • The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner)

  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

World Book Night will take place on April 23, 2012, in the U.K., U.S., and Germany, with thousands of volunteers going out into their communities to give away special World Book Night free paperbacks. World Book Night in the U.S. is a non-profit organization, and has 501(c)3 charitable status. World Book Night U.S. is supported by publishers, Barnes & Noble, the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, Ingram Content Group, United Parcel Services, and fifteen printers and paper companies; a full list of sponsors is at our website.

Michael Wells of the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce will hand out Kindred by Octavia Butler to every table at Oddfellows. Emily Wang will give away The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri at her State Farm office and around Pioneer Square while Sandy Polzini is giving The History of Love by Nicole Krauss to students at West Seattle High.

Michele Marchand will be donating The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie to homeless people throughout Seattle

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fran duchamp
11 years ago

Your pictures are great…im hoping that next year more people will become involved in my county. I am in Pollock Pines California, in a small town (in the woods)– I am just taking my time, talking with people-and having a blast!!!! Went to the hair salon, Senior Lunch at the community center. Walked around parking lots-found a young mother in the market-another young parent at the burger place, and two young parents walking their children down the main road here (I am finding young parents very receptive :) still 10 to go…my friend and I split our books. I have…Because of Winn Dixie and My Sisters Keeper…great books–great fun.