PORTSMOUTH, Va. — I met up with Hodges Manor Principal Dennis Chalk and a few students before school started for the year.
We chatted in the lobby because they were still getting the library clean for the new school year.
Sixth grader Maurice Yancey and fourth grader Harmony Mabry — who both got free books last year as part of News 3’s If You Give a Child a Book campaign — shared how their summer reading went.
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Maurice picked out sports books, specifically football.
“It's about all the rules of the game and basically I learned a lot from that,” said Yancey.
As someone who loves to paint, Harmony says it's not always what’s inside the books, the artwork on the cover is important.
Watch: 1 million books given in 'If You Give a Child a Book...' campaign
“The one thing I like about books is like the front of the books look so cool,” said Mabry.
Principal Chalk tells me last year’s book fair was a hit with the 500 students at Hodges Manor who got to take home free books.
“There were so many books to select from this is something they truly, truly liked and believe in and It makes it more passionate for them,” Principal Dennis Chalk said.
The Scripps Howard Fund partners with Scholastic Books and Title one schools to bring free books to students.
Watch: News 3's campaign raises $33k for Portsmouth school
In 2023, News 3 employees and viewers raised more than $13,000 dollars to buy 2,200 books.
“It also puts books in the hands of kids in some circumstances the opportunity to purchase them in a book fair,” added Chalk.
And some like Maurice are already looking forward to this year’s book fair.
“I think I’ll pick out a new Harry Potter,” said Yancey, with a big grin on his face.
