Author: Laura Le

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Building a better future, one book at a time

Tomorrow is the big day and we’re buzzing with excitement here at Page Ahead. We’re so excited to meet new friends and enjoy familiar company on April 30th.

This event is not possible without the support of our sponsors. Their generosity will keep kids reading for years to come.

If you’re unable to attend the event, you can still support our effort to build home libraries by making a gift today. All new monthly gifts of $50 or more will be matched by our sponsors! Double your impact—and let’s double the number of home libraries in Washington state together.

Thank you everyone, sponsors and supporters alike, for building a better future, one book at a time with us.

GiveBig 2025

Mark your calendars and set your alarms—GiveBig will be taking place from May 6 – 7! For a full 24 hours, you can come together with your fellow Washingtonians to spend the day giving back to your communities.

Together, we can get that giving feeling and put books directly in the hands of kids who need them most.

Early giving is now open if you’d like to get a head start on the fun—make your gift now!

Book Up Summer

The Page Ahead book fairs have begun! Now through the end of the school year in June, more than 23,000 kids across Washington will select their 12 brand-new books to keep and read over the summer. The Book Up Summer program gives these young readers the tools and incentive they need to read during summer vacation. If you’d like to help kids select books at a book fair, sign up for shifts here (registration required if new user) or email Laura to sign your group or company up! 

This year, schools received additional shipments of books highly requested by students and their families! To better support multilingual learners, schools received extra books in several world languages, including (but not limited to!) Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese, and Somali. In addition, copies of Dogman: Mothering Heights were distributed to all schools with participating 2nd graders. THANK YOU to our amazing community for providing the support we need to expand Book Up Summer and to provide home libraries for even more children this year.

Norwescon 2025

We are so excited to have been the community partner of this year’s Norwescon! Norwescon is the largest science-fiction and fantasy convention in the Pacific Northwest. Although the primary focus of the convention is on literature, Norwescon is large enough to provide a venue for many of the other aspects of sci-fi and fantasy, such as comics, costuming, art, gaming, and more! Attendees were encouraged to bring in art, props, jewelry, books, games, etc. to be part of an art show and silent auction to raise funds for Page Ahead.

Thank you, Norwescon, for championing children’s literacy with us! We are so grateful for your support in building home libraries and nurturing lifelong readers.

What we’re reading…

Genise Lee has been a dedicated Page Ahead volunteer since 2008. Over the years, she has generously shared her clerical expertise–supporting everything from data entry to bundling bookplates. Genise’s steadfast presence has made her an integral part of Page Ahead’s story.

She recommends Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. “The book is entertaining and well-written, reflecting on a fascinating life pursuing the wonders of botany through a very human lens.”

Now a well-respected geobiologist, Hope Jahren’s memoir details her journey to opening her own lab in Hawaii. The story explores her experiences growing up in rural Minnesota, living with bipolar disorder, and finding friendship and love in unexpected places. Hope invites all readers to take a look outside and find something green. 

Genise loves to read memoirs, and she admires scientists whose dedication and labor are not well understood and usually underappreciated. 

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Don’t forget to RSVP!

The students are hard at work practicing their Readers’ Theatre performance! Come watch their jubilant debut and enjoy a lunch on us at this year’s A Taste for Reading luncheon! April 30th is just around the corner, and we’d love to see you at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel to learn how you can build a better future, just one book at a time.

Would you like to help us fundraise for this event? Click here to become a table captain! Or you can register as a guest here.

Even if you can’t attend, you can still make an impact and put books into the hands of kids who need them most! Click here to make a donation to build home libraries.

Celebrating National Reading Month

We had so much fun this month reading with students for National Reading Month! Page Ahead volunteers celebrated with kindergartners and first-graders at schools in Seattle and Tukwila. After picking and choosing a book to take home and keep forever (along with a highly-coveted volunteer-decorated bookmark), the students had those very same books read aloud to them by our wonderful volunteers.

Thank you so much to the 40 volunteers from Boeing, Coho RE, DPR Construction, First Tech, People’s Bank, and Pitchbook who came and spread their love of reading to over 200 students. Your enthusiasm will leave a lasting impact on these students and will encourage a lifelong love of reading in them. 

Want to join us at our next reading event? Let us know where to send your invitation.

Local Event — Meet the Author: Tracie D. Hall

Just next week, on Friday, April 4, 2025, the Women’s University Club is hosting Tracie D. Hall as part of their meet-the-author series.

We hope you can join Tracie and the WUC to learn about “Information Islands: How Disinformation and the Decline in Human Literacy are Dividing Us and What Can We Do About It.”

Widely known as a “Warrior Librarian,” Tracie was on the Time100 List of Most Influential People in 2023, served as the executive director of the American Library Association, and is now a distinguished practitioner in residence at the University of Washington iSchool.

This event is open to supporters of Page Ahead. Tickets are still available—buy a ticket here! In honor of this event, the WUC is hosting a book drive to benefit Page Ahead! All guests are encouraged to bring a children’s book to donate or purchase one from the Secret Garden Books pop-up shop at the event.

Happy Anniversary, Book Oasis!

DAs we celebrate another year of Book Oasis, we’re reflecting on the big impact that these little free libraries have in the community. The little free libraries help increase book circulation in neighborhoods that are considered book deserts. Each Book Oasis is filled with children’s books and helps bolster home libraries in their neighborhoods. Check out our website to see where you can find one of our 19 Book Oases! 

Since its inception in 2021, the Book Oases have circulated 27,214 books and have been restocked 679 times by volunteers! This is equivalent to 2,000 volunteer hours! We are so grateful to all of the volunteers who have given their time and energy into making Book Oasis such a massive success!

As Laurie Rich, one of our restock volunteers, told us: “I am SO grateful for this library. Every time I see it being used, it makes my day. I introduced myself to a mother who had stopped there with her three kids, and she was also the mother to the first child I tutored with the Reading Partners tutoring program. This Oasis is helping raise readers!”

What we’re reading…

Robin Sanders has volunteered with Page Ahead for over ten years. She helps weekly in our office, at special events, and was one of the key volunteers who helped us bring the Book Oasis project to life. Here’s what she has to say about a book she recently finished and one she is currently reading:

“I just finished The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, a mystery about two children who disappear, several years apart, from a wealthy and troubled family. The story is set in the Adirondacks–at the family’s estate, an adjacent summer camp, and the surrounding rural community. It explores the traps of class (both in poverty and wealth) and also questions of community, belonging, and loyalty. The minor characters contribute to the story in satisfying ways, and the plot maintained its momentum and cohesiveness through to the end.

Another book that I’m currently reading also features things that go bump in the woods: The Last Wildlife Control Officer in British Columbia. This memoir, by Dennis Pemble, describes a 30-year career tracking cougars and bears throughout BC. It features notable moments like relocating a bear via helicopter, having a cougar wake up from a tranquilizer while still in his truck, and (most unexpectedly) rounding up an ostrich at the airport. I like memoirs in the ‘unsung heroes’ category, and this definitely fits the bill.”

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Join us for our annual luncheon!

You are invited! Please join us for lunch on Wednesday, April 30 and learn how we can build a better future for kids, one book at a time. A Taste for Reading pairs a delicious lunch with an inspiring program, including a special performance from some of our students who want to share a story with you! Choose how you would like to be involved, and we’ll see you there.

Would you like to attend and bring some friends? Sign up to be a table captain here!

You can RSVP for the event by clicking here!

Learn more about how your company can sponsor the luncheon by emailing Development Manager, Debra Carnegie, at dcarnegie@pageahead.org

Black History Month

This Black History Month, we encourage you and your young readers to read books that celebrate Black joy and achievement. There are so many great stories to choose from, for all ages, that amplify and highlight the Black experience.

My Daddy is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales and illustrated by C. G. Esperanza is a great example. This book is a 2025 Caldecott Honor book and a Coretta Scott Illustrator Award Winner. It tells a heartwarming story of a young girl and her father as they ride through their city in the early morning on their family horses, revelling in “just-us time” and sharing stories about community, discovery, and cowboys!

For more ideas of stories to share with young readers in your life, browse this list of kids’ books that celebrate Black lives, history, and joy.

Books are a powerful medium for representation and we hope that you and your loved ones celebrate Black History Month by reading together.

Women’s University Club – Book Drive

On April 4, 2025, the Women’s University Club will host a Meet the Author event, which will also serve as a book drive for Page Ahead!

Keynote speaker Tracie D. Hall will lead a discussion on “Information Islands: How Disinformation and the Decline in Human Literacy are Dividing Us and What Can We Do About It.” Widely known as a “Warrior Librarian,” Tracie was on the Time100 List of Most Influential People in 2023, served as the executive director of the American Library Association, and is now a distinguished practitioner in residence at the University of Washington iSchool.

This event is open to supporters of Page Ahead. You can learn more and buy a ticket here. All guests are encouraged to bring a children’s book to donate or purchase one from the Secret Garden Books pop-up shop at the event.

Volunteer opportunity: translating family surveys

Do you, or anyone you know, have an interest in helping us translate our family surveys into various languages from the around the world?

Many Page Ahead students live in multilingual homes, where their parents’ or caregivers’ first language is not English. Page Ahead is working on sending home letters and surveys that reflect the languages of the students we serve. We are looking for volunteers to help us translate the surveys into:

• Vietnamese
• Pashto
• Dari
• Somalian
• Ukrainian
• Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese dialects)

Please email Laura at lle@pageahead.org if you’re interested in this opportunity. Thank you so much for helping us reach the families that we serve!

What we’re reading…

Sharon Litvinoff is a dedicated Page Ahead volunteer who contributes in many ways. As the 2024 Sarajane Beal Award for Volunteer Excellence winner, she is one of our biggest advocates and supporters. She serves on our program committee, helps at book fairs, and even took on the role of table captain for the first time last year. Here’s what she has to say about the book she just finished:

“Reading Kevin Hart’s book, I Can’t Make This Stuff Up: Lessons by Hart was no tall order 🙂 ! I enjoyed it very much. Kevin has this magnetic personality that shines through on the comedy stage, screen and now in print. His life experiences became life lessons that flowed seamlessly through each chapter. Even during Kevin’s many struggles, beginning in his early childhood, his positive attitude, along with his generosity, kindness, and drive, kept him on track and focused on his goals and dreams. If you are looking for some comic relief, I strongly recommend Kevin Hart’s latest book. Good things really do come in small packages.”

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Your holiday generosity means more kids get books!

Holiday season at Page Ahead is more like book drive season! Since Thanksgiving 2024, we have been the grateful beneficiaries of 12 book drives! From community groups like book clubs and small businesses to larger company drives, we are excited to announce that we have received over 4,000 new books! 

These books will find new homes in a child’s home library thanks to everyone who participated. We want to especially thank Barnes & Noble, Secret Garden Books, and the Eastside Welcome Club for contributing the most books to us. 

Thank you for giving!

The season of giving is a way for people to show their loved ones and their communities that they care about them. This year, you all raised a record-breaking amount to help us continue our programs. With more than $20,000 raised this year than last, we are so grateful for everyone who supports Page Ahead in any way that they can. Children all over Washington will be able to bolster their reading skills, gain confidence, and succeed in all aspects of their lives because of those who gave. 

Thank you for building home libraries with us.

Donor spotlight: Ken Jones

“Shouldn’t all kids have the opportunity to fall in love with books?”

Ken Jones, a longtime supporter of Page Ahead asked this question while talking to Page Ahead about why he is passionate about children’s literacy. 

Ken grew up in Los Angeles, CA; with professors as parents, he was always surrounded by books. One of 6 kids, he remembers fondly their trips to the library, even before he was old enough for his own library card. He and his siblings would all check out books together, maxing out each library card they shared between them. Each night, his mom would read books out loud in the living room to anyone who wanted to sit and listen. She would read all types of books, from the Lord of the Rings series to My Father’s Dragon. 

As his career progressed, Ken began looking for an organization to support—one that focused on helping kids develop a love for reading. He turned to his older sister, who was working for the Sno-Isle Libraries at the time, for recommendations. Among the options she shared, he was deeply moved by Page Ahead’s mission. The organization’s goal—to provide all children with new, self-selected books that they can keep forever—resonated with him, as it empowers kids to shape their lives and futures through literacy.

Ken’s passionate recounting of his childhood was motivating. He ended our conversation with this message: if there is even one kid who completes Page Ahead’s programs who now has a love of reading and wants to read for pleasure, as their hobby, he will feel that his support was all worth it.

Thank you to Ken, and his wife Karen, for their unwavering support of literacy for kids everywhere.  

Save the date: our annual benefit luncheon for children’s literacy

It’s hard to believe, but spring is quickly approaching which means it’s time for our annual benefit luncheon for children’s literacy,  A Taste for Reading! We’d love for you to join us for an inspiring hour about how you are making a difference in a child’s life with books.

See you on April 30, 2025 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel!

Would you like to attend and bring some friends? Sign up to be a table captain here!

You can RSVP for the event by clicking here!

Learn more about how your company can sponsor the luncheon by emailing Development Manager, Debra Carnegie, at dcarnegie@pageahead.org

Volunteer with the Seattle Kraken

We are excited to announce a fun new way that you can support Page Ahead: volunteering at Seattle Kraken games!

Volunteer tasks will include working concessions stands, assisting with self-check-out kiosks, and monitoring Amazon “Just-Walk-Out” shops.

Page Ahead will receive $100+ for each volunteer who helps at a game this season. Volunteers must be comfortable standing for hours at a time. 

Email Laura at lle@pageahead.org if you’re interested or have any questions. 

Thank you, Trilogy for Kids!

Trilogy for Kids is a dedicated champion of literacy and an enthusiastic supporter of Page Ahead’s mission. Their involvement takes many forms–they serve as book fair helpers, organize book drives, and generously donate through the Trilogy for Kids Foundation, to name a few. Thanks to their incredible support and generous gift this year, Page Ahead will be able to purchase books for three entire schools!

Trilogy for Kids, thank you for helping ensure that every child has the opportunity to discover the joy of reading.

What we’re reading…

Debra Carnegie, Page Ahead’s Development Manager, took a stab at a new genre this month! Here’s what she has to say: 

“Although mysteries aren’t usually my go-to genre, I’d heard great things about Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark and decided to download it to my Kindle for some holiday reading. This book turned out to be an engaging and unforgettable read.

Set in a small Missouri town in the 1970s, the story begins when a teenage girl, Misty, is abducted. A boy named Patch saves her but is taken instead. The story then follows Misty, Patch, and his loyal friend Saint, who refuses to give up the search for him. While the plot includes plenty of mystery and twists, it’s also a deeply moving exploration of trauma, love, friendship, and the power of art.

Whitaker does an amazing job bringing the characters and story to life. The book has stuck with me even weeks after I finished it, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re into mysteries or just love a good story with heart, give All the Colors of the Dark a try—you won’t be disappointed!”

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We did it!

To kick off this year’s holiday season—and the season of giving overall—you, our phenomenal supporters, showed up for us in so many ways. 

For the fifth year in a row, Page Ahead has won the First Tech Season of Giving $10,000 grant! Thanks to your nominations, we not only secured the victory but received the most nominations of any participating organization. This generous grant will allow us to purchase books for 200 children, building home libraries that support their reading journeys.

We’re also thrilled to share that we met—and exceeded—our GivingTuesday matching challenge! This year, our generous sponsors, The Schreiber Family Foundation, provided $10,000 in matching funds for all GivingTuesday gifts. With your support, we surpassed our goal, raising over $20,000 to spend on home libraries for kids who need them most.

Your generosity and efforts are what make our work possible. From all of us at Page Ahead: thank you for championing children’s literacy and helping us open the door to a brighter future for young readers. 

What your support makes possible: preschool reading

We recently shipped copies of Dragons Love Tacos; The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry & the Big Hungry Bear; and, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus to 1,752 preschoolers across Washington as part of our Story Leaders program. Teachers read each book using the shared-reading techniques we train them in, and kids get copies of each book to take home! Learn more here.

Every child deserves new books

Books are the most important tool for learning—and one of life’s greatest pleasures.  No child should grow up without new books in their homes. With your help, they won’t have to.

Please make a gift today. Students like Cassidy are counting on you!

“The new books were the best because I can learn new things in the books and the books are important to me and I love my new books!”

Your tax-deductible gift by December 31, will help us say ‘Yes!’ to even more kids in 2025. Thank you for making a difference!

All of us at Page Ahead send warm holiday wishes to you—our heroes!

This holiday season, we extend our heartfelt thanks to you—our incredible community of supporters. Your advocacy, financial support, and volunteer efforts have brought the joy of choosing new books and building home libraries to thousands of kids across Washington.

What a wonderful gift you’ve given—thank you!

What we’re reading…

Darryl Wong is a Page Ahead volunteer who supports Page Ahead in a variety of ways, such as restocking Book Oasis little free libraries, helping us at special events, and packing the thousands of books for our Story Leaders programs. He recently finished Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. 
 
Interior Chinatown has been on his reading list for quite some time, but he moved it to the top of the list once the new Hulu series was announced. Darryl always prefers to read a book before watching its adaptation! Interior Chinatown grapples with what it means to be Asian and Asian-American in Hollywood. Protagonist Willis Wu is hoping for his big break in Hollywood, but once he is there, he struggles with his identity and Hollywood’s orientalist depiction of Asians and Asian-Americans. With his unique writing style and format, Charles Yu embeds the reader into Willis’s psyche and the acting world. 
 
When looking for books to read, Darryl searches for books by Asian-American authors. Next on his list is No-no Boy by John Okada. 

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Nominate Page Ahead!

Just one week left in First Tech Federal Credit Union’s Season of Giving, and Page Ahead is still in the running to win a $10,000 grant. Let’s get together and rally our family, friends, and colleagues for the home stretch!

Page Ahead has won 5 years in a row with your support and we don’t want to end our streak. Put in YOUR nomination today! 

Nominations will close on November 30. Your nomination will help us give 3,100 new books to kids who need them most.

GivingTuesday

Mark your calendars for December 3—it’s GivingTuesday!

This year, Page Ahead is so grateful to our generous sponsor, The Schreiber Family Foundation. They have offered up a challenge to all of you: make a gift to Page Ahead and they will match it! All gifts made on GivingTuesday will be counted until the $10,000 challenge is reached.

Together, we can make a difference in a child’s life on GivingTuesday.

Reading Events

What a fun start to the school year it’s been!

We’ve had such a wonderful time with our volunteers and students at reading events.

Volunteers from the Page Ahead community, EY, Revel/Infogain, and PACCAR’s Kenworth Division spent 82 hours reading to 250 first and second graders at 3 different elementary schools.

We are incredibly thankful to our volunteers for inspiring a love of reading in the children in our community.

Battle of the Bars

Looking for something fun to do this month? Join us for the battle of the bars! Vinbero and Kelnero in Edmonds are hosting their monthly Battle of the Bars event this weekend (November 21 – 24). Every month they riff on a specified classic cocktail. This month’s cocktail: Old Fashioned.

Your job is to taste each participating cocktail and vote on your favorite. Each vote gets you an entry into a raffle for fun prizes. A portion of the proceeds from this weekend will help us give more books to kids.

Starting at 11 AM on Thursday, Nov. 21 through 6 PM on Sunday, Nov. 24, taste these fun cocktails, enjoy some live music, and support Page Ahead while you’re at it. See you there!

Shop at Secret Garden – Ballard GivesBack

This Black Friday weekend, Nov 29 – Dec 1, shop at Secret Garden Books in Ballard and get great deals on books and gifts for all ages.

Each year, businesses in the Ballard Business Alliance select a charity to support as part of Ballard Gives Back, and our partners at Secret Garden have chosen Page Ahead as their designated charity! A percentage of the proceeds will benefit Page Ahead and help give new books to kids who need them most this holiday season. 

What we’re reading…

Formerly a long-time Seattle area resident, Kim Dixon is a Page Ahead volunteer who enjoys reading in three kindergarten classrooms and teaching swim lessons to young and old each week near her home in Spokane. She recommends one of her favorite children’s books: The StoryBook Knight by Helen Doherty and Thomas Doherty. 

“Beautifully illustrated, it is a story about Leo the Mouse whose village trains their mice to be fighting knights.  Although Leo has a love of reading and desires to be a peaceful, gentle knight, he is elected to set off on a journey to slay a dragon. The story is about his journey and how not only does he overcome evil with good with the dragon, there are other beasts he tames along the way. The book spreads a fun message of sharing, reading and how a little kindness goes a long way.”