Month of Wendy Giveaway #2 (and reminder of the rest)

What with turning fifty this month--that's a HALF OF A CENTURY, Y'ALL!--I'm shamelessly celebrating myself all month on my blog. (And in real life, TBH.) I decided that instead of a traditional giveaway, I'm going to give you some control over various types of contributions I'd like to make. Last week, one lucky winner got control of my classroom wish list and chose $25 worth of books for my students. This week, I'll donate $25 to a reading or writing project on Donors Choose that is in the winner's zip code. Some hard-working teacher will get a surprise gift from two strangers, which just makes me smile.

As a reminder, here's the rest of the month's plan:

• Week three (July 17th) I will ask the winner to send me their favorite picture book, kids/MG book, YA book and adult book. I will use my teacherly wiles to get as many of these as I can for around $25 and add them to the Little Free Library that's in a nearby low-income apartment complex.
• Week four (July 24th) I will donate $25 in the winner's name to RAICES. 
• Week five (July 31) one grand prize winner will receive EACH of these prizes spread out over the next year. So they'll choose another $25 worth of titles for my classroom, get $25 donated to a local Donors Choose project, pick $25 worth of titles for the Little Free Library, and have $25 donated to RAICES in their name. 

Further rules: You can only win once, but the grand prize drawing will combine everyone who enters it AND all previous entries. Also, I'll be sending you a small bookish token if you win--scarf, postcard, sticker, button, or bookmark.

AND if you choose to essentially match any of my giveaways yourself (e.g. you donate $25 of books to a Little Free Library, or to Donors Choose, or to RAICES), and send me proof of that before August 31st, my kid and I will make you a bookmark and sticker. 

I'm also having fun with making lists upon lists of books I've loved. First I made a list of fifty of my favorite books, one published in each year of my life.  Then I made a list of fifty MORE of my favorites, one that really hit me hard during each year of my life.  I may also do a post of ten of my favorites in my five favorite genres, and I'm planning a list of fifty random things about me, that may or may not include 50 pictures of me. (Is that just weirdly narcissistic? My dad was a professional photographer, so I have a lot of good pictures, but it's not like I'm all that lovely or many of you actually know me.)  Below are all the reading examples, but the rest would just be...life.

When my library branch had a hobby show, I brought in...my books.

How I spent every car trip as a kid. Can't do that any more, sadly.

Cracking my mom up reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson to her.

My niece and I reading Deathly Hallows together on a family trip to the mountain. 

Meeting Laini Taylor at NCTE in St. Louis. We wore stripes.

AND IT'S TIME!!!

Enter and win! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway