A Book of My Own, a guest post by Abby Cooper

Can you picture the book that made you a reader?

I can. In fact, I still have it – my original copy of FRINDLE circa 1996. I was in third grade when this transformative book came out; my teacher, Mrs. Huntley, read it aloud and I knew I needed a copy of my very own ASAP. Luckily for me, I was privileged to have a family that could immediately make that happen. 

Over the following weeks, months, and years, I devoured that book time and time again. I read it under the covers with a flashlight. I read it during silent reading time at school (and, okay, during recess, too.) I read it at camp, on vacation, on snow days, on summer days, on ALL the days. I loved making new discoveries and observations upon each read. As I grew and changed, my takeaways from the book grew and changed with me. 

Fast forward to today- I still have that copy of FRINDLE. The cover has fallen off more times than I can count; it’s literally hanging on by a string. All four corners are completely destroyed. Almost every page is dog-eared. And yet, whenever anyone offers to replace it for me, my answer is a totally horrified, resounding NO. This book – not just FRINDLE itself, but this specific copy – is part of my story. It’s part of my identity as a reader; it’s part of my identity, period. I consider it one of my most prized possessions. I think I always will.

A book that a child owns and loves in the way I love FRINDLE acts as a confidence-builder, a comfort, a confidant. Of course, children need access to school libraries and school librarians, as well as public libraries and public librarians. But there is something extra-powerful about having books that are totally your own. All children deserve their own books to read time and time again, to love, to share. And yet, not nearly enough children (in my home state of Minnesota as well as the U.S. as a whole) get to have this all-important experience.

At the end of 2023, I established a 501©3 organization called A Book of My Own. There are so many things out of our control in this ever-challenging world – but getting books to kids who need them? That is something I can do. 

A Book of My Own (bookofmyown.org) aims to increase book ownership across Minnesota by shipping high-interest, age-appropriate, diverse books directly to families in need. The method is simple: a parent or guardian fills out a brief form (https://bookofmyown.com/request_books/) in which they provide their children’s ages as well as their interests/hobbies/favorite topics. Then, breaking out my old school librarian skills, I match each child in the family with a minimum of three books (but usually more). Finally, I send them off using the addresses provided – sometimes to houses and apartments, but more often to trailers, shelters, and motels. The more books I send, the more I learn how many barriers stand in the way of children getting books of their own. In addition to financial hardship, families face various obstacles in terms of access and mobility; without reliable transportation, it can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to visit libraries, bookstores, and/or special book giveaway events – and that’s if those places are even present in their area. The fact is, we can’t always rely on kids being able to get to the books. And so, A Book of My Own gets the books to the kids.

This is only possible thanks to donations: monetary, for shipping costs (and for allowing me to purchase specific books), and of course, donations of books themselves. I am picky when it comes to the books I accept; they must be in new or near-new condition, because these children are worthy of owning high-quality books. My friend Gianna of Family Fun Twin Cities (https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/) said it best: “Kids don’t need books that are already falling apart. They deserve to be the kids who MAKE the books fall apart.” 

And that’s it, exactly. A Book of My Own’s mission in a nutshell. My own experience with FRINDLE in a nutshell. I can’t count the ways that owning that book changed my life for the better. I hope that A Book of My Own is able to do that for children who can’t just march into Barnes & Noble like I did on that fateful day in 1996.

Whether a child is two or twelve years old, five or fifteen, it’s never too late to receive that special book. The book that is theirs. The book they can make fall apart. The book that not only creates a lifelong reader, but literally changes a life. 

A Book of My Own is just getting started! To learn more and find out how you can help, please visit https://bookofmyown.org/ or visit on social media: https://www.instagram.com/a_bookofmyown, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552322878075

At the time of writing this post, A Book of My Own has shipped a total of over 3,200 books to 360 families (775 kids) in 170 different cities across Minnesota. 

Meet the author

Abby Cooper is the author of four middle-grade novels: Sticks & Stones, Bubbles, Friend or Fiction, and True Colors. A former school librarian, Abby now runs the new non-profit A Book of My Own (BookOfMyOwn.org) that aims to increase book ownership across Minnesota. Visit her online at AbbyCooperAuthor.com.

Facebook.com/AbbyCooperAuthor

@_ACoops_ (Instagram and Twitter or whatever it’s called now)

Filed under: Guest Post