Red Sox Reading Game 2014!

I'm happy to be teaming up again with my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, my pal Wally, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and this year's new spokesperson, World Series champion Craig Breslow, on the 2014 MTA Red Sox Reading Game.

In the coming weeks, 15,000 posters and 500,000 entry forms will be distributed in schools around the state. This year's materials feature Craig Breslow and Wally reading my book, Zachary's Ball, at Fenway Park!

So teachers, librarians and Massachusetts students in grades K through 8 should be on the lookout for the posters and entry forms. In the meantime, you can visit readingmatters.org to download an entry form and print a free poster.

To enter, students simply need to list nine books they pledge to read over the summer, for a chance to win two free tickets to a Red Sox game in September! 100 students will win tickets, so it's definitely worth entering!

Good luck, happy reading, and GO RED SOX!

Amazing Day at Fenway!

Thanks to the Massachusetts Teachers Association, I had an amazing day at Fenway Park on Saturday. I've been involved with the MTA's Red Sox Reading Game for several years. As a thank you, they honored me as a "Most Valuable Educator" during a pregame on-field ceremony. It's an honor I don't think I really deserve, but I wasn't about to turn it down!

After the pregame ceremony and a brief rain delay, my whole family got to enjoy the game from the grandstand right behind home plate. Even though the Sox came up a bit short with their late rally and lost 3-2, it really was a magical day. My kids even lasted all nine innings!

The Fenway photographer is going to send us some pictures of the ceremony. But for now, here are a few we got:

My daughter was so excited to be standing on the field at Fenway, she even took a picture of the dirt.

And so did I.

My name up on the screen, during the ceremony

!!!

The view from our seats. Pretty awesome.

Thank you, Massachusetts Teachers Association!

Fenway Park Photo Shoot

The Massachusetts Teachers Association asked me to do a photo shoot at Fenway Park on Saturday, to promote their 2013 Red Sox Reading Game. I said yes, because it's an awesome program that promotes literacy at every school in Massachusetts- and because any time anyone invites me to Fenway, I'm there! It's pretty amazing to be inside the park when almost nobody is there.

Renowned photographer Rick Friedman was kind enough to shoot a few author photos for me after the MTA shoot was done.  I'll post those once I have them, and I'll post details about the Red Sox Reading Game once it's up and running. For now, here are a few snapshots from the photo shoot...

And there was this cool moment- I heard them rehearsing Jackie Bradley Jr.'s first-ever Fenway Park introduction. I'm sure this moment will get some loud applause this afternoon:

Happy Opening Day! Play ball!