Hello friends, families, and community,

We are a 5th grade classroom in San Francisco, and at a time when books are being banned and students’ access to diverse stories is under attack, I want my classroom to be the opposite — a place where kids can read widely, think critically, and see themselves reflected in the pages. Books are more than entertainment; they are tools for equity, democracy, and truth-telling.

Right now, our shelves are filled mostly with titles from the 1990s and early 2000s — well-worn and nostalgic, but not the stories kids today need most. Many don’t reflect the diversity of my students’ lives or the world they are growing up in. They deserve access to books that celebrate who they are, introduce them to new perspectives, and give them the knowledge to understand history, science, and society as it really is.

And just as important: kids also deserve joyful reading — the laugh-out-loud graphic novels, fantasy adventures, and page-turners that make them fall in love with books in the first place. Research shows that when students are engaged and have fun with reading, their literacy skills grow, their confidence rises, and they become lifelong readers. A vibrant library needs both serious, truth-telling texts and pure joy and imagination.

Your support will go directly toward purchasing:

High-interest fiction and nonfiction books that reflect my students’ cultures and lived experiences.

Books that center diversity, equity, and inclusion — so all students see themselves and learn about others.

Joyful and engaging titles that make kids excited to read and build literacy through fun and choice.

Class sets of books so we can read and discuss stories together as a community.

Texts that provide factual history, science, and social studies, and nurture civic engagement and democracy.

Fresh, modern titles that resist the wave of censorship and ensure students have access to honest, inclusive storytelling.

Every donation makes a difference — even $10 puts a brand-new book in a student’s hands.

If you’re able, please donate and share this campaign with others who care about kids, literacy, and the right to read. Together, we can build a library where students don’t just learn to read — they read to learn, to think critically, to laugh, to imagine, and to see the power of their own voices.

Thank you for helping us turn our classroom into a place where stories live, joy thrives, and democracy grows.

— Eddie