Denny International Middle School is booked solid with its 2010 PTSA Read-a-thon Fund-raiser as students are plowing through pages throughout November to raise money to support Denny’s literacy and science programs, including the purchase of new books. It's goal is to raise $21,000.

Teachers recommend books appropriate for the student’s reading level and interest. Students talk with family, friends and neighbors requesting donations. Supporters can pledge an amount of money per book or per page. They can simply donate $10, $20, $50 or any amount by writing a check to “Denny PTSA” as suggested in its press release. A donation to Denny PTSA may double through your employer’s matching gift program.

"You get to plan your goal, either how many books or pages you read, or how many minutes you spend reading in November," said Denny 6th-grader Michelle Steele, a Fauntleroy resident whose mother Kathleen is a Read-A-Thon organizer with the PTSA.

"I picked 'pages' because I choose big books," said Michelle. "My goal is to read 800 pages. I have read about 200 pages in (the first) four days. I'm actually kind of proud of myself. The book I'm reading right now is 'Hoot' (by Carl Hiaasen) and I've begun the fifth Harry Potter book but haven't finished that one yet.

"I chose to read 'Hoot' because I heard it's really good and I own it," added Michelle. "I bring it to school and read it here when I have time and then I bring it home and read it before bed. My sponsor I have so far is my mom, and I'm probably going to get my grandma and aunt to sponsor me, too. My mom said she'd pay me $10 for every 100 pages I read, so I think I'm going to get a lot of money out of her. But it goes to the school."

"I'm reading 'Burned' by Ellen Hopkins," said 7th-grader Maia Jordan-Griffin, a Delridge Way resident. "It's about this 17 year-old girl who gets in a fight and she has to live with her grandma. She meets this boy and likes him a lot and is afraid she'll fall in love with him. My next book is 'Impulse' by the same author. I like her writing, and print style. Her pages are different. She writes kind of in poetry. My mom, and teacher Miss Walker sponsor me."

"I'm reading 'Go Ask Alice,'" said Justice Burwell, a 7th grader at Denny and Renton resident. "My mom picked it out for me. I don't know which title I'll read next. When I'm stressed out I just sit in my special chair and read, at home in my room. That's because the TV is just really up loud."

"The Denny Reading Program is designed to help students read books that are appropriate for their reading level, but are also interesting for them based on their age level," said Kathleen Steele, Michelle's mother. "The Read-a-thon program was developed at Columbia University and implemented here and throughout the country. There are not enough books available to meet that need for all the students across the school population here. We can address all the reading levels of all the children, and I think it's a great program. We're looking for the community to help support Denny because the school does not have enough funds to meet all the needs to help the kids excel."

"Gosh, I was such a reader," said Denny Assistant Principal Chanda Oatis, who works on the Read-a-thon program with Kathleen Steele. "I was a huge Judy Blume fan. "I met her at Bellevue Square. She signed my copy of 'Are you there God? It's is me, Margaret.'

"As an educator, when I realized that kids didn't love reading I was shocked because I came from a home where my mother was a reader. My father was a reader. My big sister was a reader," said Oatis. "Sometimes those with homes that don't have books don't understand that reading is actually cool. For some students reading a book is just a task, the four or five novels they have to read throughout the year that the teacher assigns. There's a difference when you teach the kids how to have an independent reading life and really enjoy reading, and get a choice in what they read. You can read about sports, high school drama, whatever it is that interests you.

"I tell kids, 'Hey, a movie is coming out about this book. You should read this book first because books are way better than the movie, and then we can talk about it,'" Oatis added. "My daughter read the Vampire Diaries series, now a TV show she's into, but she likes the books better. She felt the same with the Twilight book series and movies.

"I tell parents, 'Read young adult literature, something your kid's reading," said Oatis. "Then you can have a conversation with your kid about it."