.JPG?width=200&height=248 "IMG_6479-(1).JPG")
Cassandra Carraher, a senior at Emma Willard School (NY), has always loved reading. And when she was in eighth grade, she self-published her first book, Adeline, a fictional account of an employee who worked at the home of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low.Carraher read her book and many others to girls in kindergarten through second grade while volunteering at Girls Inc., a nonprofit that provides after-school snacks, activities, and mentorship to students from low-income families. Carraher chose to read her book with the students because each chapter progresses in difficulty and she wanted to help them build their vocabulary.
When Carraher moved on to high school, she continued to work with the organization, not as a reader but as a guest speaker. At a fundraiser last spring, she spoke about her inspiration for writing her book. She also organized three in-person events at her school during which she recorded fellow students narrating their favorite children’s books. The edited recordings are now on the Girls Inc. website for others to listen to.
Carraher is still sharing her love of reading and is still writing. Her upcoming second book is about a group of students at a sleepaway summer camp. She identified the topics to cover in her book—vaping, sexuality, and more—by surveying peers and parents in her community about what issues they found important.
Above: Cassandra Carraher prepares for a book signing event at Girls Inc. in Schenectady, New York.
What’s happening at your school? Share your story with us at [email protected].