National Literacy Month isn't just about kids who participate in Open Books programs!  

Check out our recommendations and resources for fun literacy themed activities. These games, puzzles, and writing prompts will get even the most hesitant child excited about reading! Then, of course, stop in our bookstore to pick out your new favorite title, and enjoy books together! 

Seeking: Literacy Interns for Fall 2011! 

Open Books is seeking new faces to join our literacy intern team this fall! As an intern, you'll learn the ins and outs of our successful social venture, devour all the books you can handle, and help thousands of students across Chicago find their voices.

 Help us find great talent and we'll reward you! 

Open Books is always seeking a team of dynamic, passionate interns to help us run our literacy programs, bookstore, and book department.

Please help us by referring an incredible individual in your life!

If we hire your referral, we'll reward you with a $50 gift card to the Open Books store.

Thank you for helping us spread the word -- and for the critical role you play in getting youth the city over inspired to read!

Read more about the internship and apply!  

To celebrate National Literacy Month, Open Books has teamed up with Mashplant.com and the Chicago Tribune Foundation to raise funds for our literacy programs.  

You can help by downloading "Make Your Mark," MashPlant.com's original song that mashes classic characters, book titles and famous authors into one catchy dance track.  100% of all proceeds will go to benefit Open Books and every dollar raised will be matched by the Chicago Tribune Foundation, up to $2,500.

This fall, Open Books is thrilled to be a Community Partner for Chicago Ideas Week -- and very excited to announce that registration is now open! CIW is an annual weeklong initiative that brings together globally recognized visionaries to speak on a variety of critical issues, social topics, and breakthrough concepts in order to foster connectivity for people in and around the Midwest. Speakers secured already include former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Joan Cusack, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Tom Friedman, Andrew Mason and more.

Launching October 10-16, 2011, the week features 25 CIWTalks (ranging in topics from Social Entrepreneurship, Film, & Architecture), three evening CIWMegaTalks, 40+ CIWLabs offering behind the scenes access to institutions across Chicago, and a CIWBash at Park West featuring spectacular talent. Join us there -- register today! 

September Is For Literacy Programs! 

September, in addition to being National Literacy Month, is also when we launch our fall programs. We have an exciting lineup this season, from creating a veritable army of teenage authors to cracking book spines with some of our favorite elementary schoolers to dusting off the ever-fabulous pencil costume.

This fall, we'll transform 75 low-income students from three different communities into confident, published authors through our ReadThenWrite program, which combines the best elements of a book group and writers' workshop. Students spend eight weeks studying exciting young adult works in specific genres by some of Open Books' favorite authors, and then they try their hand at being authors themselves as they dream up, write, edit, and pore over their own novellas for us to publish.

Though they're not yet authors, our 120 adorable, savvy little buddies will be delving into reading with their volunteer mentors, who will work tirelessly twice each week to help their students fall headlong into love with books.

Finally, thousands of Chicagoland students will fearlessly wield witty words and sharpened pencils during our Adventures in Creative Writing field trips in the coming months, spinning magnificent tales about their exploits in schools and neighborhoods across town.

Want to join the fun? 

Learn more about our programs and find out how to get involved!

VWrite Meet and Greet: The Beginning of Beautiful Friendships 

We are thrilled to announce that the 4th annual session of VWrite, Open Books' college and career mentoring program, is off to a great start! Each year, we match professional mentors with two classes of juniors at Gage Park High School, and every time, the students are exposed to new and exciting possibilities for their futures. They learn about the college application process and the careers of their mentors, but, more importantly, they have the chance to engage with someone who can help them articulate and realize their dreams.

The students are as varied as you can imagine, but many of them are from Chicago's poorer communities and have had little access to many of Chicago's professional and cultural opportunities. A good number of them are the first in their family to even think about college -- or even graduate from high school -- and the majority have overcome great hardships in their young lives. 

Last week, this semester's 47 nervous and excited juniors waited eagerly for their enthusiastic new mentors to arrive. The meet and greet session that followed was a series of magical moments, as mentors and students sat down to interview each other and begin the rapport that will carry them through the semester. The pairs will spend the next eight weeks getting to know each other and working on a series of reading and writing assignments. They will smile and laugh together, build dreams, set goals, and be inspired by each other.  Stay tuned for stories of how these budding friendships bloom! 

Have you ever been lost in a wonderful book,  

had a story take you someplace unexpected,  

or received a letter from a faraway friend?

If so, you know the power of reading and writing to take you places,  which is also the life-changing effect of literacy.

This November 4, Open Books is hosting a one-of-a-kind spectacular event to help provide those kinds of experiences to more than 4,000 students across Chicago.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW

for  

Book Your Trip: Revelry 2011!

FOOD & DRINK

Heavy hors d'oeuvres, light bites, sensational sweets, wine, beer and signature (Effen Vodka) drinks

ENTERTAINMENT

Lively music, literary games, and eclectic diversions including a passport tour and The Phantom Ticketbooth

AUCTION & RAFFLE

An amazing auction array of astounding items from retailers and organizations citywide plus a raffle for round-trip airfare and 2 nights at Miami's outstanding Ritz-Carlton, South Beach 

    This fall, prepare yourself for super savings on boatloads of books!  Our outstanding Open Boxes sale is back and will be making its debut at Open Books' new warehouse space!

Saturday and Sunday

Member Preview  

October 15 / 8-10 am

Softcovers    $2

 Kids' Books  $2

 Hardcovers  $3

 Box Full      $30

Cash Only  

 All sales help support our literacy programs.

Have books to donate? Bring them along!