Bag of Books and Northbrook's Book Bin are providing summer reading to Chicago Public School students

Most parents realize that kids can often forget about reading books while they’re on summer break. For some kids though, keeping up with reading is harder than it may seem.

This is why Meg Thompson, a Northbrook real estate professional, and Chicago Public Schools teacher Emily Schmidt are stepping in this year for the first-ever “Bag of Books” program. Thompson said the goal is to provide 78 second grade students at Curtis School of Excellence, where Schmidt teaches, with bags containing10-12 books apiece that students can read over summer break.

Schmidt, who dates Thompson’s son, said the idea started when the two women were talking one evening about the importance of reading. Schmidt said many of the students at Curtis, where almost all students are on the free or reduced lunch program, go home every night to a house that has little to no books.

“Who has no books in their house?” said Thompson. “That just kind of shows where these kids are.”

Schmidt, who is in her second year of teaching, said she noticed last fall that her students had fallen behind by 2 to 4 levels in reading over the 2015 summer break. She said it takes months to regain that loss. Schmidt said she attributed this to a lack of books in the home and the inconvenience of getting to a local library.

“She (Thompson) was just so intrigued when I was telling her about my students,” said Schmidt. “That was how the whole idea got started.”

Schmidt said she and Thompson are well on their way to reaching their goal of collecting about 900 books. Community members are invited to drop off any type of book at Sunset Foods in Northbrook, Snowbird Ski Shop in Glenview and the Koenig Rubloff office at 2730 Valor Drive in Glenview.

“Our plan is that were going to collect as many books as we can – from adult to baby books. We’ll take everything to Books-A-Million,” Schmidt said.

Books-A-Million, she explained will then use the profits from sales of the donated books to purchase age-appropriate books for the second graders.

Thompson said she then wants to take the books down to Curtis and let the kids pick out the books they want to take home.

“Instead of me giving them the books, they can pick the books they’re interested in,” she said. “For these children, education is the only way out. I love to read and it blows my mind that kids don’t have books.”

Schmidt said they have been spreading the word about “Bag of Books” through social media and the Northbrook Girl Scouts, who are also providing the students with paper, pencils and art supplies to take home for summer.

“The Girl Scouts are also helping by passing out fliers when selling cookies,” she said.

Thompson said she and Schmidt hope to make “Bag of Books” an annual program.

Another local bookstore is also helping Chicago Public School students. The Book Bin, Northbrook’s local bookstore since 1971, has been running its “Giving Tree” program for more than 20 years. Book Bin owner Alli Mengarelli said the program asks the store’s customers to buy children’s’ books at the store as donations for the “Giving Tree. ”The books then go to students at Parker Community Academy on Chicago’s south side.

“We go down and give them a wrapped book that they can then take home,” said Mengarelli. “It’s just a reward for all the hard work they’ve done in school. It’s a very important thing to get children to read.”

Mengarelli said she is particularly excited about this year’s program since just last year she became the new owner of the Book Bin after working at the store since 1999.

“It’s fun to keep it going,” she said of the store. “We’ve been able to weather the storm because we’ve got a great selection of books. You get to know what the people in the neighborhood want.”

Mengarelli said she believes despite technology, physical books are making a comeback. It’s a different experience, she said, to hold a book rather than scrolling down a screen.

“Independent bookstores are on the rise again,” she said. “We are here for the experience of reading.”