Magic Breakfast offers healthy breakfasts to around 170,000 children each school day, ensuring pupils in disadvantaged areas of the UK start their day with nutrition and energy.
A survey by the National Literacy Trust in 2019 discovered that 383,775 children do not own a single book. The Book Club will launch in June 2021 with its first title, A Dinosaur Ate My Sister by Pooja Puri.
Rashford said: “For too long, the joy of reading has been restricted by whether or not a family has the contingency budget to purchase books. The children who often miss out are those on Free School Meals and users of Breakfast Clubs, who more than likely need fiction, and non-fiction, to escape reality from time to time. We haven't been affording these children the option of reading for fun but that changes today.
“Everyone is aware of my experiences with Breakfast Club - it brightened up the start of my day, it stabilised the school day for me, allowed me to engage in reading and allowed me to form life-long friendships. I'm really happy to be partnering with Magic Breakfast to get our books in the hands of children that need them most.”
A new title in the Marcus Rashford Book Club will launch in the autumn as part of an arrangement that will see two books a year getting into the hands of children who need them most.
Jayne Elliott from Mackie Hill Junior and Infant School in Wakefield, a Magic Breakfast partner school, added: “We are delighted to be part of Marcus Rashford’s Book Club, and we can’t wait to receive copies of the A Dinosaur Ate My Sister to give out to our KS2 children.
“Our pupils love breakfast and they love reading, so we look forward to hearing how they’ve been able to get lost in their books, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of Marcus’ Book Club.”