Bookmas for Kids

This Saturday, December 4th, it's Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day. Jenny Milchman organized the event and hopes it will become an annual celebration, adding that "A bookstore can lead a child to a book, with guidance and interest from booksellers, in a way that no website or digital device can. It's a place to read, dream, and play. A world of stimulation, and a refuge in a stimulating world."

The nonprofit group Reach Out and Read also believes in the power of books for kids, promoting literacy by giving new books to children at pediatric checkups. Thanks to donations, they've handed out 25 million books since 1989 and serve 3.9 million children nationwide, including more than one-third of all children living in poverty.

Also, San Diego's Mysterious Galaxy is continuing its tradition of supporting the Monarch School, whose student population consists entirely of homeless children, with their Read! Celebrate! Give! event. They're looking for gifts of school supplies and other items you can drop off at the store. And, for everyone who brings a gift (or buys one from them to give), you'll be entered into a raffle to win a $100 Mysterious Galaxy Gift Certificate. The store is also working to bring a "Beautiful Darkness" author event to Monarch's high school students for a holiday treat; to help, purchase a donation copy of Beautiful Creatures, and receive a 20% discount as well as a raffle ticket.