Education
Education

Atlanta students given books for summer reading

By
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 covers 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.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Corbitt VanDuzer, 6, strikes a pose for her mother, teacher Kathryn VanDuzer, before her first day of first grade at Glennwood Elementary School in Decatur, Ga., on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Seeger Gray/AJC)

Credit: Seeger Gray / AJC

School starts in about a month in metro Atlanta. Check the dates here.

Most students in metro Atlanta will start school the first week of August, while others go back in July. Some school districts are already preparing for the return.

Supreme Court rulings could factor into case of Cobb teacher fired over book

Two Supreme Court rulings could impact a lawsuit by a Georgia teacher fired over a book she read to her class.

Two Georgia schools ranked among nation’s most beautiful campuses

Travel & Leisure magazine named its 30 most beautiful colleges and universities in the nation, and Berry College and the University of Georgia made the list

The Latest

Cobb County teacher Katie Rinderle testifies at a hearing at the Cobb County Board of Education in Marietta on Thursday, August 10, 2023. Rinderle was fired after reading “My Shadow is Purple,” a book about gender identity, to fifth graders. (Arvin Temkar/ajc)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Supreme Court rulings could factor into case of Cobb teacher fired over book

School starts in about a month in metro Atlanta. Check the dates here.

Clayton County again requiring clear backpacks for school year

Featured

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Credit: AP

Senate GOP passes budget bill Democrats describe as ‘a catastrophe’

Republicans in the U.S. Senate have passed the “big, beautiful bill” championed by President Donald Trump, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaking vote.

State Farm Arena top 5 globally in box office — behind only Sphere, MSG in U.S.

State Farm Arena brought in about $76.2 million across 60 events.

At a store that never closes, an armed comedian keeps the midnight watch

At JJ Food Mart on the west side of Atlanta, an armed comedian keeps the midnight watch. If you misbehave, Connell Daniels Jr. might put you on Instagram.