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Atlanta students given books for summer reading

By Mark Niesse
May 5, 2014

Each student at Dunbar Elementary in Atlanta’s Mechanicsville neighborhood picked 12 books each last week that they took home for summer reading.

The books were distributed through Athens-based Books for Keeps in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Civic Site in Atlanta.

After Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal greeted students, they had between 20 and 30 minutes to browse books before carrying them home in a tote bag provided by Books for Keeps.

Books for Keeps Executive Director Leslie Hale said children need access to books during the summer to avoid learning loss while they’re out of school.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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