Picked up from the free shelf at the used bookstore. From the cover:

"It all started with the social studies teacher's extra-credit assignment: come up with a plan to change the world for the better, and do it. Twelve-year-old Trevor McKinney began by doing something good for three people. But instead of paying him back, he asked them to 'pay it forward' by doing a favor for three more peoplet, who in turn would help three others, and so on, each act a link in a chain of human kindness.

"And no one--not his teacher, his mom, or anyone in his small California town--could ever have dreamed of how far Trevor's plan would go..."

I'm offering this as a bookray. Participants so far:

ThanksMom (US - ship intl)
FeralReader (US - ship intl) (asked to be removed 8-30-05)
baileybird (UK - ship intl)
hetku77 (Finland - ship intl)
criminologeek (formerly cicakgirl--change as of 2-26-06) (Asia - ship Asia)
...then release or keep or whatever!


Update 9-16-05: Mailed to ThanksMom last night.

Thank you for sending this book. I had read excepts on the www.payitforwardfoundation.org webpage and have been wanting to read the entire book. I like the idea, doing 3 big things for people and asking them to pay it forward for 3 others. I had hoped to get visitors to the Flight 93 National Memorial thinking of doing a pay it forward (how else could we best thank those heroes of Flight 93?) but, alas, I no longer work there.

Because I was very familiar with the story there were few surprises. I had thought there might be more objectionable parts to the story since the excepts on the website were specially edited for students. The children out of wedlock may cause the book banning crusaders to march, or perhaps interracial marriage will, but I didn't see anything in this edition that I'd keep my kids from reading.

Again, thanks for getting this book out and about. I'll send it on its way as soon as I get the next address.

Off to the UK today.

Arrived on Sat morning- Wow that got here quick! Looking forward to reading it :0)

Just not going to find the time to read this I'm afraid as too much going on here at the moment! Have PMd the next person on the list to send it on .....

RELEASE NOTES:

Popped in the post- hope it reaches Finland safely

5.12. I received the book from baileybird today, thank you!

15.2. I finally finished the book yesterday - sorry it took me so long! I loved the book once I got around reading it. I had seen the movie ages ago, and I liked it too, but the book was much better. That's the way it tends to be. Only that in the book Kevin Spacey was black and had an eye patch :). The description of American life like this is much more closer to the truth than in those glamorous Hollywood movies - at least it reminded me a lot of the time I lived there and how I saw regular Americans living. The story itself is really heart-warming and thought-provoking in many ways. Firstly is it possible to change the world like Trevor did or are just people too selfish? Secondly how our preducises affect how we see other people - how Reuben saw Arlene not being well-educated and how Arlene saw Reuben being black and badly scarred.

Thanks for the book! Just got it in the mail today. I expect 'Pay It Forward' to be an interesting story and plan to pass the book around in my family once I'm done with it.

Great idea-Pay it forward. Just because Haley Joel Osment is on the cover, I imagined him as the hero all the while reading the book.

Paid the book forward to the next reader.