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Online book auction will benefit the dream of one Newtown victim

Six-year-old Catherine Violet Hubbard, who died in the Newtown shootings, dreamed of opening an animal sanctuary in the town. One hundred percent of the proceeds of an online book auction will go towards making that shelter a reality.

'Sarah, Plain and Tall' and 'Everything for a Dog' are two of the titles available for bidding through Catherine's Dream.
  • By Husna Haq

For bibliophiles eager to continue supporting the community in Newtown, Conn., site of last year’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, it’s a golden opportunity: An online auction to bid on signed copies of 40 favorite books, with 100 percent of the proceeds dedicated toward achieving one of the victims' dreams.

For Catherine Violet Hubbard, an animal lover and one of the victims who lost her life in the shooting, it was always a dream to establish an animal sanctuary in Newtown.

And for Bobbie Pyron, an author known for her books about dogs, Catherine’s dream presented an opportunity.

“Her parents said Catherine's dream was to establish an animal sanctuary in Newtown,” Pyron told Park City, Utah’s Park Record. “When she died, they said they would do almost anything keep their daughter's memory alive.”

That’s how Catherine’s Dream was born, an online auction featuring 40 books signed by 34 authors, with all proceeds benefiting the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary.

Here’s how it works: The auction will begin Monday, June 3, and end at midnight on June 16. It will feature books from such award-winning authors as Newbery-Award-winning Patricia MacLachlan and Cynthia Lord, New York Times bestselling W. Bruce Cameron and Ruta Sepetys, and National Book Award winner Katherine Erskine. 

“I've been overwhelmed by the response because some of them are New York Times best sellers, Newbery Award and National Book Award winners, so there will be something for everyone – middle-grade books, picture books, adult fiction and a couple of nonfiction books,” Pyron told the Park Record.

The signed books will be posted on Pyron’s website. Each day Pyron will post a batch of books to auction off. Interested readers can send bids via email to author.auction@gmail.com. (See detailed instructions here.) Once bidding closes at midnight on June 16, Pyron will notify winning bidders.

“...100 percent of the money, every penny, raised during the auction and donations will be sent to the sanctuary," Pyron said.

For more information on the auction, including books on offer and The Catherine Violet Hubbard Sanctuary, visit this page.

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.

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