Jewish Girl of the Week – Ali

Why do you Enjoy Reading?
I taught second grade for four years and my kids had a difficult time reading. I realized that the students did not have the resources available, and the majority of schools do not have libraries.

What is the mission?

We facilitate book sharing in DC schools that don’t have libraries.

Where did you launch this project?
We launched at Stanton Elementary, which is the lowest performing school in DC. Eight percent of Stanton Elementary students are proficient in reading. At the school, we created a book room where the kids can visit and borrow one book each week. The next week they bring it back and get a new book.

What is your current target demographic?
We are focusing on K-2 and we will be expanding to other grades soon.

How do you get the books?
We have a list of books that the kids want to read, and then we share that information on our website.

What is your most popular book?
At the beginning of the year someone dropped off 72 copies of Gossip Girl–that didn’t work so well with us. Our most checked-out book is Lottie Paris Lives Here by Angela Johnson.