Dymocks Sydney to attempt Guinness World Record ‘reading relay’

11 February 2014 Books+Publishing

Dymocks Bookstore in George Street, Sydney, will attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the largest ‘reading relay’ on 27 February to raise money for Dymocks Children’s Charities.

Relay participants will each read one sentence from Veronica Roth’s bestselling book Divergent (HarperCollins). More than 2012 readers are needed to beat the current ‘single venue’ record, which was set in Leipzig, Germany, in 2012.

New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell will read the first sentence of the book, and media personalities Adam Spencer and Karl Kruszelnicki will also be reading at the event. The event registration fee of $15 will go directly to Dymocks Children’s Charities, which promotes reading and literacy in disadvantaged primary schools, and Guinness World Records officials will be on hand to verify the attempt.

Dymocks Children’s Charities fundraising manager Nicole Dunn told Books+Publishing that Divergent was selected for the event as the organisers ‘thought it would have appeal across both YA and adult readers’. The event is also sponsored by Roth’s publisher HarperCollins and Hopscoth films, which will give away 2-for-1 Divergent movie passes to event participants.

The event will run between 8am and 5pm on Thursday 27 February at Dymocks on George Street, and participants can nominate a one-hour window to read. Registrations are now open, and will close on 21 February.

To learn more about Dymocks Children’s Charities, click here.

Category: Local news