Ga. first lady a ‘reading ambassador ’ with Scholastic

Georgia first lady Mary Perdue has signed on as a “reading ambassador” with publisher Scholastic to help get kids to read over the summer school break.

Scholastic announced the partnership Thursday, saying it will donate 500 books to fourth- and fifth-graders in Georgia schools. Perdue is also expected to host summer reading kickoff events, although no dates were announced.

Perdue’s gig is part of a nationwide literacy campaign by Scholastic, the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University and Washington-based nonprofit Save the Children to encourage kids to read at least four books over the summer to prevent a “summer slide.”

Perdue is one of 37 “first spouses” — wives or husbands of the governors of states or U.S. territories — to join in the campaign. For more information about the campaign’s “summer challenge,” log on to www.scholastic.com/summer.