Random Acts of Reading (RoAR) is launching an exciting program in Centre County called The Golden Ticket to Literacy, which puts diverse, inclusive books by indie authors into book vending machines (BVM)

The very first RoAR BVM will be placed in Centre Hall Elementary at the start of 2023.

The concept is simple but effective: Get kids excited about reading and writing. This is how it works:

• Kids demonstrate positive behavior/have a birthday/write a story/... and receive a special token.
• At the end of the week, all of the kids who received tokens are celebrated and invited to come down to the centrally-located school-branded book vending machine.
• One by one, they pop their tokens into the machine, and it lights up as they select one book from the machine (the machines are filled with diverse, inclusive titles by indie authors/publishers from around the world).
• The book is theirs to keep to start or add to their home library!
• Inside of one book (every semester or marking period) there lies a Golden Ticket that contains a QR code that the teacher/librarian/principal scans. The kids are on a “quest for the golden ticket”! When discovered, it reveals an audio from the author of that book excitedly letting everyone know that they will be coming soon (virtually or in person) for a meet-the-author event for the entire school (or age-appropriate grades). At that event, every child receives a copy of their book. During the duration of the project each grade has an opportunity to enjoy an age-appropriate meet-the-author visit.

The thrill of the quest for the golden ticket, which is rewarded by a “prize” for all students, helps create excitement for earning/receiving tokens and fosters school spirit and community. The program provides additional literacy features, including:
~access to a large digital library
~participation in a writing contest/writing workshop
~a library of books submitted by kids

This will be the first school to participate nationwide.