2018: A Year to #ReadForChange, a guest post by Marie Marquardt

Teen Librarian Toolbox is excited to announce that we’re partnering with Marie Marquardt for her #ReadForChange project. Here’s some more about the initiative! 

Hello, 2018. Hello, Change.

Throughout 2017, I traveled around the United States talking with students, librarians, teachers, and other YA and MG authors. And, wow.

From Bowling Green, Kentucky to Santa Monica, California; from Tappan Zee, New York to San Antonio, Texas, I heard the same inspiring message: Now, more than ever, readers want books that give us all the feels and open our eyes, hearts, and minds to important social issues. And now, more than ever, authors are stepping forward to give us those stories.

So many young readers seek novels that offer new ways of looking at the world, challenge them to ask tough questions, and motivate them to take action. And YA and MG authors share their passion.  That’s why I’ve decided to dedicate 2018 to building connections between readers and authors, with the goal of inspiring action for social change.

One Year, Twelve YA & MG Books of Cause

Throughout 2018, I will find and share the best-of-the-best YA & MG books that bring attention to important issues and causes, and I’ll connect readers with the incredible people who write them. I’m calling the initiative #ReadForChange, and the first newsletter will arrive right here at Teen Librarian Toolbox on January 20, 2018.

Here’s what to expect:

On the 20^th of each month, #ReadForChange will introduce readers to a book of cause, and each month the theme will be new. I’ll recommend a YA or Middle Grade novel that’s an awesome read and also a great window into a social issue that matters now. Whatever the theme for the month, I’ll also link readers to groups and movements that are taking action. So, after being inspired by the story, readers can find good information and get involved. I’ll work hard to connect readers with organizations and movements led by teens, since we all know that teens are doing amazing things to change the world!

I’ll also bring authors into the conversation. You’ll hear from featured authors why they want to make change, what they’re doing about it, and what they hope you’ll do. Each month, readers will get a chance to enter a giveaway for the month’s YA or MG Book of Cause, signed by the author (and maybe even some free SWAG to sweeten the deal).

Get ready to connect to a year of incredible stories!

Curious to know which great novel is first in the lineup? I’ll be sharing updates, previews, and bonus content on Twitter  (@MarieFMarquardt) and Instagram (marie_marquardt). To get the monthly #ReadForChange newsletter direct to your email inbox, you can subscribe here: http://www.mariemarquardt.com/readforchange/

Meet Marie Marquardt

Marie Marquardt is the author of three YA novels: The Radius of Us, Dream Things True, and Flight Season (available 2/20/18). A Scholar-in-Residence at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, Marie also has published several articles and co-authored two non-fiction books about Latin American immigration to the U.S. South. She is chair of El Refugio, a non-profit that serves detained immigrants and their families. She lives with her spouse, four kids, a dog and a bearded dragon in the book-lover’s mecca of Decatur, Georgia.

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