New FREE Pop-Up Bookshop and Book Club for Bronx Kids & Teens

The Bronx is the only borough without a bookstore thanks to Barnes and Noble’s departure, leaving our almost 1.5 million residents thirsting for parchment but thanks to a generous new organization called Boogie Down Books and an army of over than 30 volunteers, our local youth will have access to 200 books across six titles for free.

After getting their hands on these titles, the kids can then join a free book club that will be led volunteer educators to discuss the books.

More information regarding this wonderful program is as follows:

Boogie Down Books™ presents Fall Into Reading

Month-Long Celebration of Youth and Community Literacy in the South Bronx

Free Pop-Up Bookshop and Book Clubs for South Bronx Kids and Teens

Overview: South Bronx-based startup Boogie Down Books™ is presenting Fall Into Reading, a month-long celebration of youth and community literacy. On Saturday, October 28,  two hundred free books across six titles will be distributed at a free pop-up bookshop for young people ages 11-18 and their caregivers. Free book clubs on those six titles will then be facilitated by volunteer educators on November 4 and 18. The book clubs will be open to the young people and caregivers who received free books on October 28 as well as readers of all ages from the New York City area who would like to discuss these books as a community. Select authors will appear at book club meetings to participate in discussions of their books. Fall Into Reading is funded by the Citizens Committee for New York City.

What: Free Pop-Up Bookshop and Book Clubs for South Bronx Youth Ages 11-18

Why: Approximately 25% of the Bronx’s 1.4 million residents are under the age of eighteen, and yet the borough currently has zero specialty booksellers for children and young adult readers (or any general-interest bookstores, for that matter). In an effort to help address that, Boogie Down Books™ was recently launched to empower South Bronx kids, teens, caregivers, and educators through transformative reading experiences and inspiring community events. Two of the most important factors in promoting a lifelong love of reading in young people are the ability to choose what they read and the opportunity to discuss what they read with others. Fall Into Reading provides young people with both choice and community-based discussions.

Who: Boogie Down Books™; more than 30 volunteers from throughout the community; anyone who wants to read and build community in conversation with fellow readers of all ages; House of SpeakEasy Foundation.

When and Where:
Saturday, October 28, 2017
10am-3pm
M.S. 224 / M.S. 343
345 Brook Ave., Bronx
Cafeteria

Saturday, November 4 & 18, 2017
10:30am-4:15pm
New York Public Library, Mott Haven Branch
321 E. 140 St., Bronx
3rd Floor



Ed García Conde

Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.