Reading Without Walls is a national reading program celebrating diversity. Gene Luen Yang, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, developed this platform to encourage readers to explore books with characters who look, live, and think differently than they do. He expands the definition of diverse reading to include topics a reader hasn’t discovered and even formats a reader has not tried.

The challenge is simple:

1. Read a book about a character who doesn’t look like you or live like you.

2. Read a book about a topic you don’t know much about.

3. Read a book in a format that you don’t normally read for fun. This can be a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, or an audiobook.

Diversity comes in many facets. This challenge can cover many differences: ethnic, cultural, lifestyle, religious, and ideological as well as book formats and genres. It is important for readers to “read widely”.

Books can open up the world around you. So challenge yourself and invite your friends to join in the adventure with you! Share your experience using the hashtags #readingwithoutwalls and #diversebooks.

KHCPL can start you on your quest to find diverse books and materials. You can also go to Where To Find Diverse Books for more children and teen titles. Good Reads is another great resource to for lists of diverse books.

Accept the challenge today! Let the adventures begin!!!