Thursday, January 28, 2016

#1000BlackGirlBooks Wants to Connect Black Girls with Relatble Books



Eleven-year-old Marley Dias told her mom she was "sick of reading books about white boys and dogs."

The sixth grader from New Jersey told The Huffington Post that she loves to read, but that she has a hard time relating to the characters in the required books she reads in school because she has nothing in common with them. 

I was frustrated... in fifth grade where I wasn't reading [books with] a character that I could connect with.

Her mom, Janice Dias, asked Marley what she planned on doing about it. At first, Marley said that she decided to create a book guide which would feature black characters, but she ultimately decided to take her idea a step further. So she initiated #1000BlackGirlBooks in November, a book drive where she collected books in which black girls were the main characters -- not the sidekicks or background characters.
 
Marley, who works with her mom's organization GrassROOTS Community Foundation, plans to collect 1000 books by Feb. 1, to donate to children. On Feb. 11, she'll travel to her mom's hometown, St. Mary, Jamaica, to host a book festival and give the books to schools and libraries. Marley said she hopes this book drive helps more young black girls read about characters they can relate to. So far, she's collected nearly 500 books.

I know there's a lot of black girl books out there, I just haven't read them.  So if we started this I would find them and other people would be able to read them, as well.

I write everyday," she said, in reference to her blog. Marley said she wants to become a magazine editor when she grows up and she hopes to maybe even write a book of her own for young girls like her one day.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Calling All Favorite Teachers!

Here is a lovely way to salute favorite teachers brought to you by Barnes and Noble.  Middle school and high school students can nominate their teacher in the My Favorite Teacher Contest at Barnes & Noble.
myfavoriteKids are encouraged to compose essays, poems or thank-you letters describing their appreciation and admiration for a teacher. Follow this link for the entry form and official rules.

Participating schools must collect the essays and turn them in at their local Barnes & Noble store by March 1, 2016. Students who would like to nominate a teacher from a school that is not participating can turn in their entries directly to the store or mail in entries.

The contest includes for a variety of prizes for local and regional winners. Check it out:
Each regional winner will receive a $500 Barnes & Noble gift card and a NOOK by Samsung.   From the pool of regional winners, Barnes & Noble will name one teacher the Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year. The winning teacher will receive $5,000 and the title of “Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher of the Year.” The national winner will be recognized at a special community celebration at their local Barnes & Noble store, and the winning teacher’s school will receive $5,000. The student who writes the national winning essay, poem or thank-you letter will win a $500 Barnes & Noble gift card and a NOOK by Samsung device.