kids count–and read!

It's BookExpo this week, and I must admit that I woke with a feeling of dread this morning. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people (including Jill from Rhapsody in Books!) but I hate crowds, I'm not good at mingling, I still have to teach, and it's raining right now. Hopefully I'll be able to snag a cab so I won't have to schlep all the way out to the west side.

While BookExpo celebrates all things related to publishing, it's easy to forget that young readers are part of the equation. If you missed out on donating books to Ballou HS through the Guys Lit Wire book drive, then please consider giving to San Marcos H.S. in Santa Barbara. Click that link to get all the details about Ari's second book drive to supply deserving schools with books by and about people of color. Here are some of the titles they're hoping to receive:

Carmen: an urban adaptation of the opera by Walter Dean Myers

Fish out of Agua by Michele Carlo

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles (not out until August so an ARC would be awesome)

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Not out until October so an ARC would be awesome)

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Kira, Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Luminous by Dawn Metcalf (releases in July but an ARC would be greatly appreciated!)

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

Please mail the books to

San Marcos High School c/o Helen Murdoch

4750 Hollister Ave

Santa Barbara, CA 93110