This boy could only afford to read junk mail until Facebook was asked to help

Mathew Flores loves to read - but it's a luxury the 12-year-old has not always been able to afford.

His family does not have a car and cannot afford a bus pass to get to the library, which means Mathew has often been forced to read adverts. His luck changed when he met his local postman Ron Lynch last week in Salt Lake City - and asked him if he had any spare junk mail.

The postal worker was so moved he took to Facebook to ask friends if they would send him some books.

"Most kids his age want electronics! It's great to see his desire, and you should have seen him beam when I said I could help," he said.

Lynch was expecting to receive around 30 books but the post went viral across the world and people have sent in novels from Australia, Britain and India. So far Mathew has received more than 350 books - which he says he plans to share with other children in his area.

So why does Mathew really love books? "It's super fun and it's interesting," he told ABC 7 News. "Plus it gets you smarter."

More: These are 20 books to attract reluctant readers