Utah Boy Flooded With Books After Request for Reading Material Goes Viral

A Utah postal carrier delivered more than mail recently, to a 12-year-old boy who asked for junk mail to read. Lynch found out Mathew reads newspapers because he doesn’t have any books.

“He didn’t want electronics, he didn’t want to sit in front of the TV playing games all day”, Lynch told CNN affiliate KSL. “He’s counting on me, so I’m counting on you!” his post said. Lynch had originally thought that his Facebook request would generate about 50 to 60 books, mostly from his immediate list of friends and family. Lynch, a self-proclaimed book lover, started reading at an early age and was blessed to have enough access to books. Instead, they tend to read just the first sentence of a piece, then rapidly skim over the rest of the material on the left side of the page only; a manner of reading called an “F” pattern. “I was given many books as a child, and it’s time to help someone else”, Lynch wrote.

“So… let’s get this 12 year old some books! I’ve heard from the United Kingdom, Australia, from India”, a shocked Lynch said, writing the following thank you post on Facebook Tuesday evening. It went viral and the boy, Mathew Flores, is now collecting volumes by the hundreds. And recently, Lynch made a personal delivery of more books to add to Mathew’s growing collection. Flores has since received tons of books to fill up a bookcase and is excited to not only read them all, but to share them with other kids too. People have already gone to Mathew’s home. “I told him the library had many, but he said they don’t have a auto, and couldn’t afford the bus”. “And [reading] also enables you to smarter”. “I don’t even know”, he said.

As for new bookworm Matthew: “I’m just super happy”.