India, Oct. 14 -- For children searching for their favorite stories, school libraries need more than a basic collection of books. Building a useful library requires funding for new titles, equipment maintenance, and reading materials that reflect students' interests. In March 2015, best-selling author James Patterson pledged $1.25 million to support school libraries across the United States.

A Scholastic press release outlined Patterson's partnership with the Scholastic Reading Club to provide grants to schools. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on each school's needs. Applications were accepted through Scholastic's network, which included 62,000 schools and 800,000 teachers. Eligible requests covered books and reading proj...