Books ARE Cool: Introducing Kwame Alexander BookFest

I must confess. Last week, as I introduced NYT best-selling author, poet, Newbery award winner, and friend Kwame Alexander to our customer-facing team members during our Lunch and Learn training session, I got a sense of excitement that I haven’t felt in a while. Between the pandemic, the sale of the business, the shutdown, and now sale of Follett Book Fairs, we’ve been busy. But it’s been awhile since we’ve done something NEW. It’s been awhile since we’ve launched a brand-new product for our customers to fall in love with. And if anyone can help us break into the classroom by getting teachers and students excited about reading, it’s Kwame Alexander. Kwame hand-selected all 36 titles in the Kwame Alexander BookFest and worked with the Follett team to create podcasts, teacher guides, and student activities to help students reach the same conclusion he did while cleaning his garage back in 1978—books ARE cool.

Listen as Kwame describes his inspiration for the newest, coolest Book Club in education today.

Eager to better understand the titles that inspired Kwame, I dropped the three different books I’m currently reading for my #BritReads22 campaign and dove into one of the books Kwame selected for the program—Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds. I’ve read a few of Jason Reynolds' books over the years, but Look Both Ways was unique in that it’s ten short stories about a walk home from school. So why does it meet Kwame’s criteria for BookFest?

Kwame says, “The books have to be entertaining.”

Check. Based on the context clues, the reader knows Look Both Ways is set in a predominantly Black community and the majority of the students describe themselves as having brown skin. Yet, while reading Look Both Ways, I saw my middle school self, my friends, and my classmates in the characters because the story lines could be carried out in nearly any community in the world. The book took me back to the awkward first crushes and chaos associated with the afternoon school bell. My favorite part was the beautiful way in which Reynolds demonstrated how the students’ lives intersect during their walks home—even if only in passing.

Kwame says, “The books have to be accessible. They must offer a place to enter them without intimidation.”

Check. The simple fact the book is broken into ten short stories makes it more accessible for striving or reluctant readers. Each story stands on its own but over the course of that ten-block walk home, you have a much better picture of the daily lives of each student which are often filled with relatable challenges like a fear of dogs, crazy neighbors, and smelly arm pits.

Kwame says, “The books have to be challenging.”

Check. In ten blocks, Reynolds tackles big challenges like divorce, bullying, homosexuality, dementia, cancer, and death in a highly relatable manner. Thanks to their friends and sometimes in spite of them, Reynolds’ students overcome their fears.

Kwame says, “The books must be inspiring for readers to want to make the world a better place.”

Check. Featured in the Kwame Alexander BookFest Discussion Guide for Look Both Ways, is an interview with Reynolds about why he wrote the book. In the video, Reynolds says he wanted to capture the incredible moments in everyday life, the satisfaction of conquering fear, and the beauty of friendship.

As I reflect on this #BritReads22 and Kwame Alexander BookFest title, Look Both Ways is exactly the type of book our customers are asking for. New York City Public School Library Coordinator, Melissa Jacobs says, “We need to move beyond just having a black character on the cover a book and calling it diverse. There needs to be a level of inclusivity in our material. A book with an LGBTQ character shouldn’t just be about coming out. There should be an LGBTQ character in a book just because that’s life. I’m going to buy books that reflect the culture of our community.”

Look Both Ways may be written by a Black author about students in a predominantly Black community… but the themes are simply human. We all have challenges to overcome and our friends can make them a little easier.

If you’re inspired to read Look Both Ways, let me know what you think by tagging #BritReads22.

And I hope you’re as excited as I am for today's market launch of the Kwame Alexander BookFest!

-- Britten