We’ve told you a lot about seventh-grader Marley Dias here at Blavity, and now we have more good news to share.

Dias founded the charity #1000BlackGirlBooks in 2015 with the hopes of donating 1,000 books featuring black girls like herself as the lead character. She has been more than successful, donating over 8,000 books all over the world.

And now, she’ll have a black girl-starring book of her own.

Fresh off of her turn as guest editor of Elle magazine, Scholastic has offered Dias a book deal.

“I am so excited to be doing this book with Scholastic,” Dias 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.”

Scholastic Vice President and Executive Editor Andrea Davis Pinkney added, “Through her smarts and ingenuity, she's delivered a jolt of inspiration that’s sent an unstoppable shock-wave to kids everywhere who’ve stood up with Marley to shout ‘Yes!’ to the power of positive action…We’re thrilled to welcome her to the Scholastic family.”

Dias’ book will be non-fiction, and will tell the story of how she began #1000BlackGirlBooks. It will also serve as a guide for her peers who want to become social activists, with instructions on garnering support, using social media as a tool for justice and turning volunteerism into activism. Finally, given Dias’ love of literature, her book will advocate for increased grade-school literacy, offering suggested reading, tips for becoming a better reader and strategies for discussing and writing about literature.

A release date for the book has not yet been announced. In the meantime, visit #1000BlackGirlBooks to learn how you can donate to help Dias’ literary endeavor.

Elle

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