At Roundtable Reading, young readers are invited to read aloud to each other from the opening chapters of a good book. We will read from on-screen text for about forty-five minutes. A few days later, children who participated in the session will get a copy of the book in the mail to continue reading at home. Sign up for this event on Wednesday, February 10 or Thursday, February 11, when the sign-up link will be active on this page. The meeting link will be sent to you on the morning of Saturday, February 13.

Alberta loves surfing, vegetarian food, her two dads, and hanging out at the beach. What she does not love is being the only Black girl in her grade at school. So she’s excited when Edie’s family moves in across the street. But Edie, who prefers coffee, black lipstick, and Edgar Allan Poe, doesn’t even know how to swim! When Edie discovers a box of old journals in the attic of her new home, she shares them with Alberta. The girls’ obsession with the journals brings them together as friends, and the mysteries they uncover from the past lead them to insights about family and racial dynamics in their small beachside town.