Susan for Books & Books Literary Foundation

This is in memory of the children’s librarian, Inger Boye, who saved my life. She provided the books and the safe space I needed during my childhood.

“I was the kid in school who couldn’t afford the books,” said bestselling author James Ponti after visiting a Miami-Dade middle school with the Books & Books Literary Foundation. “You put a book in a kid’s hand and it gives them a chance to go on an adventure, and maybe give them a different outlook on the future.”

This Give Miami Day, I’m raising money for the Meet an Author, Build a Library program. The Books & Books Literary Foundation brings authors into Title I public schools in Miami-Dade County and gives every student a signed copy of the author’s book to take home. Not just students who can afford one. Every student.

Research links the number of books in a child’s home to how far they go in school, and according to school staff, most of the students we serve have few or no books at home. Each signed book gets shared with siblings, parents, and grandparents, multiplying its impact. School librarians say the visits spark a new reading culture: “Opportunities like this are rare. Meeting authors in person, hearing their stories, and receiving free books sparked curiosity, imagination, and the interest to read.”

What your gift does:

• $10 puts a signed book in a child’s hands, and in their home
• $250 gives a book to every student in a classroom of 25
• $2,000 brings an author to a school and gives 200 students a book

The Books & Books Literary Foundation has put more than 35,000 books into the hands of children and families across Miami-Dade. Help me get more books to students today with a donation to the Books & Books Literary Foundation. The first $1,000 in gifts will be matched on Give Miami Day. Thank you!

Author Kerry Cerra with 4th & 5th graders at Leisure City K-8Author Scott Reintgen with 6th graders at Rockway Middle School