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Star Wars Reads Day is being held for the second time

Chain bookstores, indie locations, schools and school libraries are participating all over the world.

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20th Century-Fox Film Corporation/AP
'Star Wars' stars Harrison Ford (l.), Carrie Fisher (center), and Mark Hamill (r.).
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

May the Force be with readers.

The second annual Star Wars Reads Day is being held Oct. 5 and will include events at various stores all over the country. Lucasfilm, the production company behind the Star Wars movies which was founded by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, created the event in 2012 in partnership with various publishers, including Scholastic, Dark Horse, and Workman. 

Various stores, including chain companies such as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million as well as indie bookstores, and both school and public libraries will be holding events to celebrate (some schools and school libraries are celebrating the day today rather than Saturday). According to Publishers Weekly, more than 2,000 events will be occurring all over the world, which is a 67 percent increase from last year.

“Reading and Star Wars have gone hand-in-hand since 1976, when the novelization of the original Star Wars movie was released,” Lucasfilm director of publishing Carol Roeder said in a statement. “Over the years, many fans have discovered the joy in reading through Star Wars books, and we hope to continue encouraging more people to read.”

Some stores have been selected as “premier” locations, and these spots are where “Star Wars” authors such as Jeffrey Brown of the “Jedi Academy” middle-grade series and Tom Angleberger of the Star Wars origami titles as well as illustrators of the books like Brian Rood will be appearing. Stores that are designated as holding premier events include the Barnes & Noble locations in Austin, Texas and Madison, Wis. as well as Denver’s Tattered Cover Book Store and the Wordstock Festival in Portland, Ore.

Locations which are holding Star Wars Reads Day were given a kit containing crafts and tips for holding the event, among other items, two months before the day by the Star Wars Reads organization. Events are required to be free.

“The stores come up with very creative ways of celebrating,” Roeder told Publishers Weekly.

Check out the list of events here to see if Star Wars Reads Day is being celebrated near you.

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