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Home • News

12-Year-Old Marley Dias Signs Book Deal To Write Kids Activism Guide

The powerful girl behind the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign is ready to teach other kids how to start their own initiatives.
12-Year-Old Marley Dias Signs Book Deal To Write Kids Activism Guide
David Livingston
By Paula Rogo · Updated October 26, 2020
4826974204001

Marley Dias, the 11-year-old who launched the #1000BlackGirlBooks last year, is continuing to make #BlackGirlMagic.

The now 12-year-old literary advocate just announced a new book deal with Scholastic, with whom she’ll be writing an activism guide for kids and teens, the publishing house announced earlier this month.

We are thrilled to announce that we will be publishing a book by #1000BlackGirlBooks founder Marley Dias! https://t.co/8jSjw88csS pic.twitter.com/q2KcwGhdXH

— Scholastic (@Scholastic) February 2, 2017

“In her forthcoming nonfiction book for ages 10 and up, Marley Dias, the powerhouse girl-wonder who started the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, shows kids how to make their own dreams come true. In this accessible ”keep-it-real“ guide, Marley tells how she’s turned her passion into a literacy crusade that has captured the attention of the media, policymakers, and young people throughout the world,” said the Scholastic announcement.

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Dias founded #1000BlackGirlsBooks, a drive that focused on books depicting black girls as the protagonists. She achieved her goals of collecting 1,000 books, and she has amassed 8,000 books to date.

As for her new writing project, Marley is ready to take it on: “I am so excited to be doing this book with Scholastic,” she said. “All my friends can probably only name one publishing house and that is Scholastic; they are everywhere. Scholastic is the perfect partner for spreading my message of diversity, inclusion and social action.”

The book will be released in spring 2018.