The project, from New York Times Bestselling Author Tracey West, gave away more than 350 books across five events from June to October.

DELAWARE COUNTY, NY, UNITED STATES, October 30, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Dragon Wagon, a mobile bookstore serving young people in the Western Catskills, is pleased to announce a successful inaugural season. The Dragon Wagon, a project of New York Times Bestselling Author and creator of the Dragon Masters book series Tracey West and her husband Billy Hancock, was launched to promote literacy by increasing book choice and access for rural readers, especially access to diverse books and authors. To facilitate this, each young person who visits The Dragon Wagon can select a brand-new book from the shelves – absolutely free.

Here is a recap of The Dragon Wagon’s inaugural season:
– The Dragon Wagon gave away 357 free books to kids across five events between June and October 2023
– The Dragon Wagon attended or hosted events in Delhi, Margaretville, Walton, Andes, and Sidney, traveling a total of 144 miles.
– The Dragon Wagon kicked off the summer reading programs at Cannon Library in Delhi and William B Ogden Library in Walton, with both libraries reporting doubled participation in the program compared to the past year.
– The Dragon Wagon provided 250 books at cost to the Delhi New York Rotary Club for their Summer Reading Challenge.

“At the start, we were certain we would be using the school bus – a colorful, refurbished 1979 Dodge B300 – but had to improvise and use a cargo trailer for our first set of events,” explained West. “It didn’t seem to matter to the kids at our events, though; they get so excited when they see the books and get to start exploring the shelves. That excitement energizes us, and we can’t wait to reach even more kids over the next year!”

The Dragon Wagon has books for readers from babies to high schoolers, including fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, picture books, board books, and more. The bus also features books about rural kids and themes, books about Black history, books about the LGBTQIA+ community, books about dragons (of course!), and books that intersect with cultures and communities worldwide. In addition to the free book, visitors can also purchase new books at each event.

The Dragon Wagon has plans to attend at least one more event in 2023, the Franklin Holiday Market in Franklin, NY on Saturday, December 9, from 10am to 3pm. To learn more about The Dragon Wagon and where you can visit them, visit dragonwagonbookbus.com and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. To shop the selection online and support their mission, visit bookshop.org/shop/dragonwagonbookbus.

Ryan Hallett
Otto & Friends
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