FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - School is almost out for summer, but there is no offseason for reading, which is why the New England Patriots, The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon and JetBlue are teaming up to encourage children to take on the "Read Between the Lines" summer reading challenge.
To kick off the challenge, The Hall is hosting Patriots wide receiver and official "Read Between the Lines" ambassador Malcolm Mitchell and special guest, Jeff Kinney, author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series, for a reading rally and book signing on Saturday, June 23.
Visit The Hall at 10:30 a.m. for fun and photos with Pat Patriot before making your way into The Hall's Raytheon Theatre, where beginning at 11 a.m., Mitchell and Kinney will read Mitchell's children's book, "The Magician's Hat." Magician John Logan will entertain the crowd during the reading, and Kinney will conclude the event by hosting a Q&A session with Mitchell. The event is free and open to the public, but due to space restrictions, is limited to the first 150 guests.
Additionally, the first 50 children in line for the event will receive a signed copy of "The Magician's Hat" donated by JetBlue. Following the reading rally, Mitchell's book will be available for purchase and can be signed in the Grand Hall located just outside of the Raytheon Theatre from 11:55 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event is for children accompanied by adult(s). Please note: This is a literacy event, so no memorabilia will be autographed.
"In order to stay at a championship-caliber reading level, we have to stay active and keep practicing, especially over the summer," said Mitchell. "I am very excited to encourage, support and cheer on our students as they 'Read Between the Lines' this summer."
The "Read Between the Lines" reading program challenges children ages 5-18 to read 1,000 minutes between July 1 and Aug. 31. Participants can share their progress on social media by using the hashtag #PatriotsREAD and follow along as Mitchell also takes on the challenge. Participants who turn their completed reading logs into The Hall by Sept. 14 will receive two passes to The Hall, a Read Between the Lines bookmark, a commemorative completion certificate and one entry into the grand prize raffle - a Tom Brady autographed photo, an autographed copy of Mitchell's book, a 2018 Patriots yearbook and other Patriots goodies.
For more information about the "Read Between the Lines" summer reading challenge presented by JetBlue, please visit www.patriots.com/READ. Â
ABOUT THE HALL AT PATRIOT PLACE PRESENTED BY RAYTHEON
The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon is the crown jewel of Patriot Place and the only sports and education experience of its kind. Through a dazzling array of interactive multimedia exhibits and artifacts never before viewable by the public, The Hall showcases the tradition of the New England Patriots, explores the history of football in New England and promotes math and science education for thousands of schoolchildren each year. The Hall received a Gold MUSE Award from the American Association of Museums and The Hall's signature film, "Patriots Way," won a CINE Golden Eagle Award. The Hall was named to Boston Globe Magazine's Best of the New, and was a Yankee magazine Editor's Choice recommendation. Tickets to The Hall are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for children 5-12. Children 4 and under are admitted for free. The current hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.TheHallatPatriotPlace.com, visit "The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon" on Facebook, follow @TheHall on Twitter and @PatriotsHall on Instagram.Â
ABOUT READ WITH MALCOLM
Read with Malcolm is a youth literacy initiative founded by New England Patriots Wide-Receiver Malcolm Mitchell. The organization has two primary goals: 1) to introduce book ownership to students in households where reading is not a priority and 2) to improve literacy in schools with below grade-level reading skills. In 2015, Read with Malcolm launched Share the Magic Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, to promote the long-term benefits of being an active reader to students served by Title I schools and underserved communities. Malcolm Mitchell's book, "The Magician's Hat," has been distributed to more than 30,000 students in schools, children's hospitals and community service organizations.
