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OUR MISSION

Between The Pages empowers children to discover a life-long love of reading using books as tools to immerse economically disadvantaged and avid readers in an engaging recreation of their favorite books, fostering literacy, creative play, creative writing and cooperative problem solving.

OUR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Do you remember your favorite book as a child and wondering what it would be like to live in that world with those characters? 

 

At Between the Pages, we make that happen. 

 

We offer Creative Play Literacy Programs designed to reach children from 5th-12th grades by building an active and supportive community of empowered readers and writers. We offer these programs both online and to at-risk schools, reaching children and students where they live, work, and play through the teachers and librarians that they know and trust.

 

Who do we reach? Children ages 8-18 yrs

What do we do? Distribute culturally relevant books to economically disadvantaged students, engage the children in dramatic readings and creative roleplay, encourage creative writing and print the student’s work in an anthology they keep.

Where does it happen? Online and at economically disadvantaged schools. 

When does it happen? During the school day, typically during library time. In the early evenings, online, after school is out.

Why does it work? Creative roleplay with books representing the students’ own culture, allows them to see themselves as heroes who can make a difference, and books as being relevant to them.

What do they learn? Improves reading literacy, reading aloud, promotes ownership of books and library as a safe space, many students who ‘never liked books, leave with their very own favorite book.

How do we know it works? Teacher/Librarian-based exit survey of motivation, book ownership, and students from lower grades enthusiastically. requesting the program for themselves next year – seeing it as a perk of the upper grades

How is it supported? Individual donations, grants, volunteer time

In School Programming

Our Hero Training 101 sends performance readers into 5th grade classes of partner economically disadvantaged schools immersing and engaging student readers. Leaping into the story allows them to see themselves as the hero and as a result, develop a life-long love of reading.

Summer Camp

Since 2006 Camp Half-Blood Austin has been empowering demigods to become creative problem solvers and inclusive community builders. Wrapped in STORY, sword training, archery, daily quests and battles against ancient evil help campers to navigate everyday life, developing a more expansive world view.

Book Talks

Going out into schools, Topher Bradfield has a 16 year history of performing and talking with kids about some of his favorite new books in his famous book talks. Where Topher goes, whimsy, magic, a little bit of mayhem, and an irrepressible love of reading are sure to follow!

Online Book Club

From Writing and Art Contests to sharing pictures of our pets and favorite books, our weekly online Book Club provides a safe space for our kids, who used to only connect with their friends at school or our summer camp, to have connection and support the entire year!

Our Heroes

Imagination, teamwork and problem solving are the qualities that set our demigods up for success in everything they do, and that’s the environment that we create story after story. Let me introduce you to a few of our old-timers (as we call them!).