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WIZARDS OF THE COAST OFFERS EDUCATORS A NOVEL WAY TO REACH RELUCTANT READERS

June 23, 2005 (RENTON, Wash.) – Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), and leading publisher of Mirrorstone™ books, an imprint of fantasy fiction for young readers ages eight through thirteen, has created a free program for librarians and educators with the goal of getting boys and girls excited about books.

This month, the “Mirrorstone™’s Adventures for Reluctant Readers” program will provide librarians and teachers with the tools to create engaging programming for patrons ages eight to 13. Assembled under the direction of an award-winning young adult school librarian, this program offers librarians and kids an imaginative, educational alternative to traditional library activities. A limited supply of free copies of the program will be available to librarians through the mail beginning next month.

“Getting children and tweens to read can be a real challenge, but simple, classic adventure tales can be the catalyst that changes a reluctant reader into an eager one,” said Julie Halpern, author of Toby and the Snowflakes, and a YALSA-award winning librarian in suburban Chicago. “This program from Mirrorstone provides books and a range of ideas that will help educators reach the “non-readers” all around them.”

Mirrorstone’s Adventures for Reluctant Readers program offers librarians a variety of practical resources and activity ideas, including Secret of the Spiritkeeper, the first book in the Knights of the Silver Dragon series and Temple of the Dragonslayer, the first in the Dragonlance young reader series. Additional materials will include lesson plans, a recommended reading list, a guide to hosting a successful book club, and creative suggestions for activities, including a reader’s theater script.

Librarians may request Mirrorstone’s Adventures for Reluctant Readers by emailing libraries@wizards.com, or calling 1-888-613-3791.

Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is a worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. The company holds an exclusive patent on the method of playing trading card games (TCGs) and produces one of the world’s best-selling TCGs, Magic: The Gathering®, as well as the celebrated Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game. Publisher of adventure games, family card and board games, and electronic media products, Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world’s premier book publishers of fantasy series fiction whose novels have made numerous appearances on The New York Times best-seller list and have sold millions of copies worldwide. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at wizards.com.

Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, D&D, Mirrorstone and Dungeons & Dragons are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other countries. ©2005 Wizards.