A huge part of my mission as an author and literacy advocate is connecting directly with readers—hearing your stories, learning about your challenges, and sharing practical strategies to help families raise strong, confident readers.
That’s why I’m so excited about my national virtual book club tour in celebration of the newly revised paperback edition of my book, Reading for Our Lives: The Urgency of Early Literacy and the Action Plan to Help Your Child.
This tour is about making the book’s messages—and me—accessible to communities everywhere. I know not every school, district, library, or nonprofit has the budget to bring me in as a keynote speaker or host a large in-person event. A virtual book club makes it possible to gather your people, dive into the ideas together, and still have me right there in the room with you—live, interactive, and affordable.
Why Host a Virtual Book Club?
When you host a session, you’re giving your constituency—families, staff, or volunteers—tools they can use immediately. You’re helping them access simple, evidence-based strategies for preparing kids to thrive as readers. You’re also amplifying your organization’s impact by positioning your literacy work as essential for school readiness, educational equity, and family well-being.
Here’s how it works:
- We start with a quick planning call to discuss your goals and customize your experience.
- You receive 25 paperback copies of Reading for Our Lives, plus a plug-and-play host kit with run-of-show, discussion guide, and promo assets.
- We come together for a 60-minute live virtual Q&A—not a lecture—where I answer candid questions and tailor my advice to your community’s context.
Parents and staff get the book ahead of time, so they can arrive informed and armed with questions to help them adapt it to their specific needs. This helps them leave empowered with concrete next steps. The outcomes we aim for are lasting: stronger confidence, usable literacy routines, and momentum that extends well beyond one event.
What Hosts Are Saying
After hosting a virtual book club, Claire Hagan Alvarado of Literacy First said, “The feedback was great. People really enjoyed the conversation. It felt really personable and … really challenged our group to extend our impact.”
And Jill Gonzalez of the Women’s Storybook Project of Texas shared, “The book club experience was fantastic. Having the author with us made such a difference. It is different when you get to speak to the person who wrote the words, when you get to have the perspective of the expert.”
An Invitation
I wrote Reading for Our Lives because I believe every child deserves a strong start with words, stories, letters, and language. And while the literacy crisis and achievement gaps can feel daunting, the solutions start close to home—with parents, caregivers, and communities taking small, daily actions that add up to big change.
If you’re ready to elevate your impact and help equip caregivers to help kids thrive as readers, I’d love to explore joining your group for a virtual book club. Together, we can turn insights into action and build the momentum every child deserves.
