Reading by 9

Each year, LACOE's Library Services staff and volunteers sort through cartons of books that start arriving in November. Through the holidays and later, books are sorted and categorized by grade level. Schools with low student achievement and classrooms with low reading scores are invited to participate each year. The principal is sent a letter and asked how the donated books will be used at the school. Interested schools come to LACOE on a designated day to pick up their boxes of books.

"This program has been immensely important to us," said Claudia Kreis, principal of Burnett Elementary School in Long Beach. "We're putting aside some books to give to students for reading improvement. It's a great incentive to them - and often, the first book a child owns. Our job is about teaching kids how to fall in love with books."

The book drive campaign was launched to address the low number of supplemental and recreational reading books available in schools. In California, schools have less than half the 25 books per student national average.

For LA County’s young students, one million books mean countless opportunities. For more information about the book donation program, contact Sharon McNeil in Library Services at (562) 922-6359.

Go to LA Times Reading by 9 (http://www.latimes.com/extras/readingby9/) Web site for more information.