PLANO, Texas, May 3, 2019 — More than three decades after being created by Pizza Hut, the now iconic BOOK IT! Program is kicking off its 35th year by introducing its newest author partner, Tom Angleberger, author of the New York Times bestselling Origami Yoda series.
As the author partner, Tom will work with BOOK IT! to continue encouraging students across classrooms nationwide to find the joy in reading. Throughout the 2019-2020 school year, his renowned Origami Yoda series – which includes popular books The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Darth Paper Strikes Back and The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee – will be incorporated into all BOOK IT! classrooms, teacher materials and website creative.
“The BOOK IT! Program has a legacy of fostering a love for books by showing children reading can be more than a homework assignment, instilling great habits from the very start,” said Angleberger. “I couldn’t be more excited to join the renowned BOOK IT! family and incorporate the Origami Yoda series into classrooms nationwide for students and teachers to enjoy.”
In celebration of the program’s new author partner and Angleberger’s nationally recognized Star Wars-inspired book series, Pizza Hut will unveil a nationwide deal available only on Star Wars Day, May the 4th, where customers will receive 35% off all menu-priced items, in celebration of the program’s 35th anniversary. The promotion is available for online orders only at participating locations, and customers can redeem the deal on their oven-hot pizza using code ORIGAMIYODA.
Additionally, Pizza Hut will donate 10,000 copies of Angleberger’s books to educators via First Book – a nonprofit social enterprise that supports educators serving kids in need with affordable access to new, high-quality, curated books and educational resources.
“As we enter our 35th year of inspiring children to read, partnering with Tom couldn’t have been a better fit to celebrate this milestone,” said Natasha Collins, manager, Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program. “His passion for motivating children to read combined with his unique, imaginative approach to literacy is bringing new and creative ways to further BOOK IT!’s mission. We’re thrilled to align with a partner like Tom to kick off the next 35 years of impacting classrooms across the country.”
Angleberger joins BOOK IT! as the program’s third author partner. Previous BOOK IT! partners have included Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, and most recently, Kate DiCamillo, author of many beloved books for young readers, including the Newbery Medal-winning Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures.
While best-known for his Origami Yoda series – a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling series – Angleberger is also known for his Fake Mustache and Horton Halfpott, both Edgar Award nominees, and the Qwikpick Papers series. His latest chapter book series Didi Dodo, Future Spy follows a dodo bird spy on food-related capers.
Building on its legacy of fostering a love for reading in the classroom, this year BOOK IT! unveiled a digital platform that provides a seamless way for educators and parents to enroll in the program, track progress and give reading rewards. With this addition, there is no limit to the number of classrooms that can participate, further helping BOOK IT! reach its goal of impacting one million classrooms by end of 2020. To date, BOOK IT! has impacted more than 65 million students nationwide, motivating children from kindergarten to sixth grade to read, rewarding students who meet their monthly reading goal with praise, recognition, and of course, pizza.
For more information, visit www.BOOKITprogram.com or follow BOOK IT! on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.