At the age of five, when I first read a book on my own - even if it was just a BOB book - I fell in love. I fell in love with the characters authors created, with the world I imagined in my head as I read, and most of all, with the feeling of empowerment I had when I read on my own. When I found out about BookEnds, what really inspired me was their devotion to get kids interested in reading. Books such as Corduroy and The Golden Compass shaped my childhood, and by flooding classrooms with books, hopefully other children can have the same feeling when they find their story.  The impact it can make on the imagination and education of kids is enormous.
 
My first experience at a recipient elementary school really opened my eyes to the enormous need for BookEnds. We delivered thousands of books that had been collected by fourth graders running a book drive. We put a box in each classroom to start the ‘buddy’ reading. As I stood in one classroom, in the midst of kids paired up reading, a first-grader tapped my arm and showed me a bookmark he found in the box. “Can I take this?” he asked, a smile on his face. I told him of course, and turned to his partner to ask what book they chose. I noticed that the boy was still looking at me when he quietly asked, “What is it?” It took me a moment to realize he was referring to the bookmark, and that he had never seen or used one before. This was the second when it clicked- these kids are eager to read and fascinated by books, and we can give them the resources to become empowered by reading, just as I was as a kid. I scanned the room and saw dozens of young faces enraptured by the stories being read to them.
 
What I love best about books is their ability to place you into an imaginary world, to reveal the thoughts of characters you think of as friends, and to allow you to escape into a land beyond your own.

Madeleine Mountain
BookEnds Intern, UCLA Student