Star Wars Reads Day

This Saturday, October 6th, is Star Wars Reads Day!

What is Star Wars Reads Day? Well, according to the FAQs:

Star Wars Reads Day is a national event that celebrates reading and Star Wars. It was created by Lucasfilm and its publishing partners--Abrams, Chronicle Books, Dark Horse, Del Rey, DK Publishing, Random House Audio, Scholastic, Titan Magazines and Workman.  

It's the first time the publishers have all worked together on this kind of scale, and it's for a great cause: to promote literacy! I think one of the greatest gifts you can give anyone is a book. Knowing how to read enables you to travel all over space and time from the comfort of your home. If you aspire to be a writer, you have to read. Heck, if you want to be successful in life, you have to read. Period. Using Star Wars to help make it fun for kids and adults is a fantastic idea.

So how can you join in on the fun? Look for one of the 1,200+ events in your area on this map (I wish they had a zip code look up, but you just have to zoom in). Activities will vary from location to location but there will at least be giveaways and a raffle for Star Wars books. Some locations will have author signings (Club Jade has links with details about author appearances) and/or costumed members from the Rebel Legion, 501st Legion, or Mandalorian Mercs. You might spot some droids courtesy of the R2 Builders Club, too. 

This is a chance to support your local libraries, independent bookstores, or maybe local comic book shops. And if you've never dived into the vast Star Wars Expanded Universe - well, now's as good a time as any. I've only read a few of the novels; my tastes run more towards the comics and the reference/non-fiction books. I might be changing that thanks to the new Essential Reader's Companion by Pablo Hidalgo which lays out everything about the EU novels. We'll see.

Don't forget to download an activity kit, too! They're available in color or black and white and include crafts, activities, trivia, and games. Download links here.

As an added bonus, many Star Wars authors are posting over at the StarWars.com blog for the occasion. So far they've discussed recipes, some making-of info, how books came to be and more. Check out the list of posts here. A bunch of authors will also be participating in a Q&A on Goodreads tomorrow.

The event is happening in the U.S. only this year, but they hope to expand to include the whole world in 2013.