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These ladies were thrilled the Patriots drafted a member of their book club

Malcolm Mitchell’s love of books will never die.

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Last we saw Malcolm Mitchell, he was playing wide receiver for Georgia and reading intrepidly as a member of a book club otherwise consisting solely of women over the age of 42.

Now, he’s a pro, and a fourth-round selection by the Patriots, which could effectively be interpreted as a third-round selection because Deflategate.

Anyway, Mitchell recently spoke to a bunch of kids at a Georgia elementary school in support of an awesome foundation that distributes books to area children, Books for Keeps.

In attendance were members of his book club, consisting entirely of women old enough to be Mitchell’s mom, who showed up to support him and regaled the Athens Banner-Herald of his positive qualities. And most importantly, they’re planning a “field trip” to see a Patriots game.

“For a 22-year-old, I think he’s got a great maturity,” said [book club member Kathy] Rackley as she watched Mitchell captivate third-graders — not with his football exploits, but his message about the importance of reading.

“He’s got a great depth,” added another book club member, Danna Whaley.

Since joining the club, Mitchell has gone on to write his own children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat.” In a partnership with the nonprofit foundation Mitchell has begun, Books for Keeps will distribute copies of the book to every Clarke County first-grader this year. The children got their books for free, but he also sold some copies to the adults there, who lined up to have Mitchell sign the books they’d bought.

What are the odds Gronk signs up?