You might know Malcolm Mitchell. He helped the New England Patriots win the 2017 Super Bowl. What you may not know is that he also loves to read and write. He is the author of four books, and he also started Share the Magic Foundation. That’s an organization that has helped 1 million kids get excited about reading. 

    Malcolm didn’t always love books though. When he was younger, football made him feel unstoppable. Reading made him feel lost and small. How did that change? We asked Malcolm to share his story.

Why do you think reading felt so scary to you as a kid? 

    Some books had too many pages. Some words were too long. If I messed up while reading in front of the class, kids would laugh. It felt terrible. I used to think, If I struggle with a few words, how could I ever read a whole book? 

How did you get better at reading? 

    Growing up, I thought sports were the only path to a better future. As I got older, I realized that wasn’t true. I went to college for football but still struggled with reading. So I bought some picture books for practice. I took my time and studied new words. Starting out simple helped me build my confidence. 

Why did you write your first book? 

    I knew I wasn’t alone in my reading struggles. Once I discovered how to be more fearless, I wanted to tell everyone! I thought the best way to do that would be to write a children’s book. 

What do you do with Share the Magic?  

    I travel to schools across the country and host reading events. Every year we also do a READBowl. That’s a reading competition inspired by the Super Bowl. We had 500 kids join our first READBowl. This year, we had over 1 million! I love showing kids how fun reading can be.

What do you want our readers to know about reading?

    While football was great, I couldn’t do it forever. But reading has no limits. You can do anything if you know how to read. You don’t have to read perfectly. You don’t have to pick the biggest or hardest book. Start with something fun. Just 10 minutes a day can make a difference.