Tennessee's first lady, Crissy Haslam, launches book club

Friday, June 1, 2012

photo Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam

NASHVILLE - Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam today launched the Read20 Family Book Club with the goal of promoting early child literacy and parental engagement in their children's academic lives.

Haslam is encouraging families this summer to read 20 minutes daily. Each month a book will be featured on the website (www.tn.gov/read20). Children and families can participate and find family engagement ideas, reading activities and tips.

"I am very excited to launch the Read20 Family Book Club," Haslam said in a news release. "Families reading together build a foundation for strong relationships and academic success for our Tennessee students."

The First Lady selected "Frindle" by Andrew Clements as June's featured "Book of the Month." "Frindle" is a story about a boy named Nicholas who encounters all kinds of adventures after creating a new name for the pen: "frindle."

She said she thinks children and families will "enjoy the imagination and creativity of the main character in Frindle. It's an exciting narrative that I hope will create a great opportunity for families to spend quality time with books this summer."

Haslam will travel the state during the summer to promote this program, including visits to hometown baseball games in June. She also plans to partner with non-profit and business groups to provide access to new books for children in need and help deliver Read20 Book Club books to families across Tennessee.