Reading List, Book Distribution in Newark Aims to Promote Literacy Among City Boys
June 27, 2025
Originally published on TAP Into Newark
NEWARK – School’s out for summer, but community groups and nonprofits are staying proactive in combating learning loss and closing the literacy gap with a 30-book reading list.
My Brother’s Keeper Newark, an initiative of Newark Opportunity Youth Network built on the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, has announced its 2025 summer reading list, which features 30 books for early childhood to adult readers.
The second annual list by My Brother’s Keeper Newark includes works by Newark-based authors and will be distributed by local organizations, like Reading Partners, a national nonprofit that engages community volunteers to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring.
“The summer reading list focuses on topics relevant to young men and boys of color, while keeping them engaged over the summer months to prevent the ‘summer slide,’” said Mark Comesañas, executive director of My Brother’s Keeper Newark.
Comesañas, alongside Cerenthia McElroy, manager of Newark People’s Assembly, Dr. Naima Ricks, managing director of partnerships at Reading Partners, and Adeola Whitney, CEO of Reading Partners, discussed the importance of maintaining literacy initiatives this summer on Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s Facebook live program on Wednesday.
My Brother’s Keeper Newark has purchased 500 copies of the reading list books to distribute to young boys and men in the city throughout the summer.
One local collaborator distributing books is Reading Partners, which is currently recruiting tutors in Newark in partnership with GreenLight Fund Greater Newark to improve literacy outcomes for 4,500 students over the next four years.
The reading list is made up of six sections of books designated by age, covering topics to connect young boys and men of color to a range of experiences. The books explore themes ranging from understanding emotions and fostering friendships, to overcoming adversity with family, friends and self, according to My Brother’s Keeper Newark.
This summer’s reading list includes “Naciste Para Mi/Made for Me” for Me by Zack Bush, “Brown Sugar Babe” by Charlotte Watson Sherman, “Sa a pou Mwen/That’s Mine!” By Sumana Seeboruth, “Baby Goes to Market” by Atinuke, and “Cool Cuts” by Mechal Renee Roe for children ages 0-3.
“Brick by Brick” by Heidi Woodward Sheffield, “The World Belonged to Us” by Jacqueline Woodsoon, “Un Beso en Mi Mano/The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn, “Dragons Love Tacos” by Adam Rubin, and “The Day the Crayons Quit” by Drew Daywalt are for children ages 4-6.
In the ages 7-9 category, there are “Benita y las criaturas nocturnas/Benita and the Night Creatures” by Mariana Llanos, “Freedom Soup” by Tami Charles, “Merci Suárez Changes Gears” by Meg Medina, “Dragons in a Bag” by Zetta Elliot, and “J.D. and the Great Barber Battle” by J. Dillard.
For children ages 10-13, the summer reading list includes “The Adventures of Yaya Soup: Soup Joumou Lakay Grann Pola” (series) by Tico Armand and Angie Bell, “The Last Last-Day-of-Summer” by Lamar Giles, “Amanda Black: Una herencia peligrosa” (series) by Juan Gómez-Jurado y Bárbara Montes, “The Boy in the Black Suit” by Jason Reynolds, and “Mamie Phipps Clark, Champion for Children” by Lynette Mawhinney.
Young adults between ages 14 and 17 can pick from “Solito” by Javier Zamora, “Clap When You Land” by Elizabeth Acevedo, “What Lane?” by Torrey Maldonado, “Concrete Rose” by Angie Thomas, and “Louder Than Words” by Ashley Woodfolk.
For ages 18 and up, there are “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett, “The Sun is Also a Star” by Nicola Yoon, “One Day I Shall Astonish the World’ by Nina Stibbe, “Cien Años de Soledad” by Gabriel García Márquez, and “The Power of Exposure: Lessons of Success from Highly Effective Mentors” by Dan De Nose.
Only 23% of third grade students in Newark are reading at grade level, compared to the statewide average of 44%, according to the 2024 New Jersey State Learning Assessments (NJSLA) exam.
In 2023, Baraka launched a citywide 10-point literacy plan at the Newark Public Library in response to low literacy test scores exacerbated by learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mayor’s plan includes participation from schools, parents and the greater Newark community to address the literacy crisis. Several points of his plan prioritize providing students and families with books that reflect their lived experiences.
In his literacy plan, Baraka also launched a call-to-action for community partners to distribute books to help families develop home libraries for their children.
“Children growing up in a home with a 500-book home library could boost a child’s projected educational career 3.2 years further in education than growing up in a similar home with few or no books,” according to city officials.
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