KidsRead @Home
Throughout the school year, our KidsRead / KidsWrite program offers us a unique opportunity to help foster a love of reading and writing in young people. We cherish the opportunity to invite New York City public school school students into our beautiful space to meet and speak with the authors they’re reading in class. When the pandemic began, we introduced KidsRead @Home, partnering with some of our stellar children’s and YA authors who have generously crafted resources for students, parents, and teachers to use from home.
Interested in getting involved? Reach out!
KidsRead @Home Videos
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Debbi Michiko Florence
Debbi Michiko Florence
Debbi Michiko Florence reads from Book 3 of her Jasmine Toguchi series, Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl. Jasmine worries that she will be the only one with no talent to share in the school talent show until her mother brings out her taiko drum. There’s also a special writing exercise after the reading, so be sure to watch through to the end!
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Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl
By Debbi Michiko Florence
Published by FSG
It’s talent show time at school, and eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi is excited to show her stuff. But as she thinks about her strengths—tree-climbing, mochi making, collage—none of them feel quite right to perform on-stage. Jasmine’s friends already have a talent: Tommy yo-yo’s, Daisy dances, and Linnie plays piano. Plus, Maggie Milsap (aka Miss Perfect) is saying she’ll have the best talent.
When Jasmine’s mom introduces her to the taiko, a traditional Japanese drum, Jasmine finally finds an activity that feels just right. But will she be good enough at taiko in time to beat Maggie Milsap?
Join Jasmine as she discovers her talent—and the difference between being the best and trying your best.
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L.C. Rosen
L.C. Rosen
Author L.C. Rosen reads from his latest novel, Camp in this video for KidsRead @ Home! Camp is set at a summer camp for queer teens and is a coming-of-age story about one teenage boy’s willingness to hide his true self to get noticed by the boy of his dreams. A heartwarming and witty novel about the complicated path to discovering your true self.
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Camp
By L.C. Rosen
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff loves spending the summer at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens. It’s where he met his best friends. It’s where he takes to the stage in the big musical. And it’s where he fell for Hudson Aaronson-Lim—who’s only into straight-acting guys and barely knows not-at-all-straight-acting Randy even exists.
This year, however, it’s going to be different. Randy has reinvented himself as ‘Del’—buff, masculine, and on the market. Even if it means giving up show tunes, nail polish, and his unicorn bedsheets, he’s determined to get Hudson to fall for him.
But as he and Hudson grow closer, Randy has to ask himself: How much is he willing to change for love? And is it really love anyway, if Hudson doesn’t know who he truly is?
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Lance Rubin
Lance Rubin
Lance Rubin’s third novel, Crying, Laughing is the bittersweet story of one quirky teenage girl’s attempts to navigate high school and her family through both laughter and tears. Lance was generous enough to answer the questions asked by the students at I.S. 239 in Brooklyn.
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Crying Laughing
By Lance Rubin
Published by Random House Children's Books
Winnie Friedman has been waiting for the world to catch on to what she already knows: she’s hilarious. It might be a long wait, though. After bombing a stand-up set at her own bat mitzvah, Winnie has kept her jokes to herself. Well, to herself and her dad, a former comedian and her inspiration.
Then, on the second day of tenth grade, the funniest guy in school actually laughs at a comment she makes in the lunch line and asks her to join the improv troupe. Maybe he’s even . . . flirting? Just when Winnie’s ready to say yes to comedy again, her father reveals that he’s been diagnosed with ALS. That is . . . not funny. Her dad’s still making jokes, though, which feels like a good thing. And Winnie’s prepared to be his straight man if that’s what he wants. But is it what he needs?
Caught up in a spiral of epically bad dates, bad news, and bad performances, Winnie’s struggling to see the humor in it all. But finding a way to laugh is exactly what will see her through.
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Charles Waters
Charles Waters
Each word in this dictionary has a poem about how to make the world a better place. Charles Waters reads from his latest book, Dictionary for a Better World!
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Dictionary for a Better World
By Irene Latham & Charles Waters
Published by Lerner Publishing Group
This inspiring resource for middle-grade readers is organized as a dictionary; each entry presents a word related to creating a better world, such as ally, empathy, or respect. For each word, there is a poem, a quote from an inspiring person, a personal anecdote from the authors, and a “try it” prompt for an activity.
This second poetic collaboration from Irene Latham and Charles Waters builds upon themes of diversity and inclusiveness from their previous book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. Illustrations from Iranian-British artist Mehrdokht Amini offer readers a rich visual experience.
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Finding Home with Mia Garcia and Carmen Rodrigues
Finding Home with Mia Garcia and Carmen Rodrigues
In this webinar, produced by Las Musas, KidsRead author Mia Garcia discusses with YA author Carmen Rodrigues writing about the different meanings of home. Garcia’s novel The Resolutions, tells the story of four longtime friends as they adapt their annual New Year’s tradition by making dare-oriented resolutions for each other that test their bonds.
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The Resolutions
By Mia Garcia
Published by HarperCollins
From hiking trips to four-person birthday parties to never-ending group texts, Jess, Lee, Ryan, and Nora have always been inseparable. But now with senior year on the horizon, they’ve been growing apart. And so, as always, Jess makes a plan.
Reinstating their usual tradition of making resolutions together on New Year’s Eve, Jess adds a new twist: instead of making their own resolutions, the four friends assign them to one another—dares like kiss someone you know is wrong for you, find your calling outside your mom’s Puerto Rican restaurant, finally learn Spanish, and say yes to everything.
But as the year unfolds, Jess, Lee, Ryan, and Nora each test the bonds that hold them together. And amid first loves, heartbreaks, and life-changing decisions, beginning again is never as simple as it seems.
Story Time
Don’t forget to check out our afternoon Story Time video series! Follow along at home as talented actors read from a selection of wonderful children’s books.