Reese Witherspoon’s new mission: How she plans to inspire young readers

NEW YORK (AP) — Oscar-winning actor and book club impresario Reese Witherspoon is teaming up with her publisher, Hachette Book Group, on a literacy campaign.

Starting this fall, new audio books from Nathan Harris, Patricia Cornwell and other Hachette fiction authors will include a message from Witherspoon urging parents to read to their children at least 10 minutes a day, visit libraries and bookstores and perhaps even form a book club. Witherspoon’s own club has helped boost sales for such choices as R.F. Kuang’s “Yellowface,” Ann Patchett’s “Tom Lake” and Emily Henry’s “ Great Big Beautiful Life.”

The initiative with Witherspoon is part of Hachette’s “Raising Readers” campaign.

“Through community and collaboration, we hope to ignite children’s imaginations and remind them of the endless joy and possibility that reading for fun can bring,” Witherspoon said in a statement released Tuesday.

Witherspoon’s message also will be included in a novel she has out in October, “Gone Before Goodbye,” a thriller she wrote with Harlan Coben.

Hachette CEO David Shelley said in a statement that “We’re up against a lot of competition for young readers’ attention. Having a megastar like Reese to help fly the flag for books is a tremendous asset.”

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This story corrects the spelling of Harlan Coben’s name.