Reading For Pizza: The Book It Legacy Generation In-Between: A Xennial podcast

Generation In-Between: A Xennial Podcast « »

3M ago 54:21

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Have you ever tracked your reading hours to collect a tasty reward when you met your goal?

Did you proudly display your purple Book It pin on your jean jacket?

If pizza is still your only motivation to read, you might be a Xennial who grew up chasing down personal pan pizzas in the Book It program. And we are too.

For countless kids growing up in the 80s and 90s, Pizza Hut's reading incentive program transformed the sometimes daunting task of reading into an adventure with the tastiest of rewards: Personal pan pizzas earned through literary achievement.
Dani dives deep into the surprising 40-year history of this beloved literacy program. What started as a marketing idea quickly became a cultural phenomenon, reaching 7 million children in just eleven months after its 1984 launch.
Want to join our summer 2025 Xennial book club? Sign up here!

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Chapters

1. Introducing the Book It Program (00:00:00)

2. The History and Evolution of Book It (00:10:41)

3. Pizza Hut Experience in the 80s and 90s (00:21:33)

4. Program Details and Reading Rewards (00:31:07)

5. Criticisms and Research on Reading Incentives (00:41:38)

6. Planning a Summer Reading Club (00:51:47)

122 episodes