DW’s Fourth Annual Holiday Book Drive!
UPDATE, 8 AM 12/1: We’re almost halfway to our goal of 200 books. Thank you for your contributions!
UPDATE, 5:30 PM EST (11/30): After about 4 1/2 hours and with some website issues on Amazon due to high traffic on Cyber Monday, close to 75 books (out of 200) have been purchased and sent to the participating teachers for their students. We’re about 35% to our goal! Thanks to all who have contributed so far. Even if you aren’t able to purchase a book, you can help by sharing this link with friends and family or anyone you think might be interested. If you’re having trouble accessing the registries through their direct links, please try copying and pasting the urls I provide below. Thanks for your patience and generosity!
It’s time again for one of my favorite DW traditions — our annual holiday book drive! It all started in 2012 when we had a last-minute book drive for a class in a low-income school in New Orleans. The drive was such a success, I decided to make it an annual event. Since 2012, we have gifted books to over 350 students in some of the highest poverty schools in the nation. In some cases, the books have been the only gifts these kids receive for the holidays. One teacher who participated in our drive in 2013 emailed me a couple weeks ago saying: “A student I had two years ago for 5th grade, came up to me last week with the book she received that year and said she still remembers how excited she was the day she got it!”
This year we have teachers from four different schools participating in our drive, and I hope we can continue the tradition of generosity and holiday spirit in 2015 so that 200 more kids (!) can experience the joys of reading and receiving. Learn more about this year’s participants below, and follow the links to their Amazon gift registries where you can purchase books if you’re able to. Thank you so much for your generosity — it really does make a difference!!!
Ogo A. has participated in our last two book drives with great success. She has a new job this year, teaching 5th grade at a residential school for foster children in Washington, DC. She has 43 students, many of whom she says are reading well below grade-level. Having books of their own to read for fun at home will help improve their reading skills.
Here is Ogo’s book registry for her middle-schoolers. Please consider making a purchase!
NOTE: If the direct link does not work for you, please copy and paste this url into your browser:
https://www.amazon.com/wedding/ogo-n-anosike-wendy-atterberry-baltimore-december-2014/registry/3HQYEL1E8KXQY
Johanna J. teaches 5th grade science and reading at a Title 1 school in the small rural town of Halifax, North Carolina. She has 85 students, many of whom love reading but don’t have access to new books. Students’ reading levels range from 2nd to 8th grade. She and the other 5th grade teachers at her school are planning a special delivery of the books you send, complete with a Santa costume! Johanna says that this book drive will truly make magic happen for her students. You can follow her classroom to see your donations at work at @msjorgenparker on Instagram.
Here is Johanna’s book registry for her 5th-graders. Please consider making a purchase!
NOTE: If the direct link does not work for you, please copy and paste this url into your browser:
https://www.amazon.com/wedding/johannna-parker-johanna-parker-halifax-nc-december-2015/registry/16RS2IME4FCI0
Susan N. teaches Special Ed English Language Arts at a middle school in Boston that is classified as “highest poverty.” She has 50 students, all of whom read below grade-level. She runs a very successful independent reading program and has seen improvement by giving kids choices in what they read, but she has never had enough new, high-quality books for their class library or to give students to keep. She says her kids love graphic novels and are begging her to get the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Here is Susan’s book registry for her middle-schoolers. Please consider making a purchase!
NOTE: If the direct link does not work for you, please copy and paste this url into your browser:
https://www.amazon.com/wedding/sue-naughton-sue-naughton-boston-january-2017/registry/1PAUZ3YMQZZ6M
Katie K. teaches 5th grade at a low-income middle school in Hillsdale, MI. Multiple students have voiced to her over the school year that they don’t have food for dinner, let alone money to buy books. She has 23 students and their reading levels range from second grade to fifth grade. She says that this book drive will be a tremendous and well-appreciated gift for her students.
Here is Katie’s book registry for her 5th-graders. Please consider making a purchase!
NOTE: If the direct link does not work for you, please copy and paste this url into your browser:
https://www.amazon.com/wedding/kathryn-klco-kathryn-klco-hillsdale-december-2015/registry/3QQXU75NWIWH8
hooray!
Side note: Hey wendy, i think the links might not be working?
Okay, maybe it’s just me, but I can click on one of the links (after refreshing) and it will work, but not the subsequent links)
If I click on the links from the main DW page it works. If I click on this column and then try to open them I get an error 404. But, I can get to them 🙂
When I click on the links from this column and the homepage, I am re-routed to the amazon.ca homepage.
I refreshed the home page & was able to get in and place my order.
Oh, no! I have no idea why it isn’t working. I’ve never had that problem before. Maybe Amazon is having issues bc it is Cyber monday and they’re super busy? I really don’t know. I have edited the post to include the url for each registry that can be copied and pasted into your browser. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.
That’s what I was thinking? but thank you for providing the links!
The urls you provided below work for me!
For all those teaching at a school that serves low-income populations: Half Priced Books will also donate to your school. All you need is your school’s tax ID and contact information. I just recently organized a donation of 600 books (split between elementary and secondary) to hand out at our parent-teacher conferences. We set up a table and families were able to take books home with them. So, even if you didn’t get on the drive this year (or did but just want more books!), that’s another avenue to get books into our students’ hands.
This sounds really cool!
How does it work? I just shop for the books on Amazon and they get delivered?
Yes, exactly! All the lists are set up like wedding registries (only there are books on the list instead of blenders). The teachers set up the registries and included their addresses (either their home address or their school address), which remains private to everyone else. Purchase whatever you want from the registries and the books will be sent directly to the teacher at the address they gave Amazon.
Done!
I love this drive! I just bought one book for each teacher. I love giving the gift of reading!! Thanks for sponsoring it again, Wendy!
Thanks, Lianne!
Nevermind. I figured out the address thing.
Clearly need more coffee today.
There should be an option for “Teacher’s name registry address”.
Yay, glad you are doing this again! Just bought one.
Tomorrow is pay day for me!!!! So I will contribute tomorrow afternoon 🙂 Glad to see everything is going well so far!
Just bought some books! This is one of my favorite donation drives to do each year.
Just tried buying the last book off of Katie’s registry (Pocket Secret Missions), but it appears to be completely out of stock on Amazon. I tried clicking on the other sellers, but kept getting the out of stock message.
Any alternates you would like? 🙂
I’ve sent a message to all the teachers to edit their lists if there are books that are out of stock. I know they’re always busy but hopefully they can do that very soon. Thank you!
I bought a book for Susan’s class.
Thanks for running this book drive again Wendy. I think it’s wonderful that you put this together each year and that all of these teachers are so supportive of their students’ interest in reading. I bought a book too 🙂
For once I’m late in catching up but didn’t miss it all! I just bought 4 books 🙂
Thank you!