Help us collect 5000 books for placement in PVSD middle school ELA classrooms!
Donate via Venmo
Contribute directly to our book drive for local middle schools by sending funds through Venmo. Your gift helps us purchase books and cover essential project costs.
Open Venmo @jaymehofteigContributions support the Shelf to Hand book drive and are not tax‑deductible at this time. 100% of proceeds go toward books and project overhead.
Other ways to donate:
Want to become a partner? Check out our Partnering page.
Want to contribute new, like new, or gently used books? Read about the guidelines we’re using below, then check out ideas for sourcing books on our Finding Books to Give page.
GUIDELINES
NEEDED:
Links below are to lists of recommended titles to help you get a sense of what kinds of books might fall under a given category.
Verse Novels (stories told through poetry, often free verse)
Diverse Representation
Books in Spanish
Books in English and Spanish
Books in other languages
Variety of English reading levels
Books with high visual and thematic appeal
Books published within the last ten years
Books older than ten years that remain of high interest
Criteria - ALL books must meet the following requirements
New, like new, or gently used
Paperback or hardback
Fiction or narrative non-fiction
Potential appeal to middle school-aged kids*
Suitable for middle school-aged kids*
Information presented as fact is accurate and up-to-date*
We CANNOT take any of the following:
Religious texts
Reference texts
Informational texts
Audiobooks
Consumable materials, such as workbooks
Self-published books**
Books in need of repair
*How do you determine whether books have potential appeal, are suitable for middle-schoolers, and contain accurate, up-to-date information, to the best of your knowledge? There are many ways professional teachers, librarians, booksellers, readers and parents can determine if a book is a good choice to add to a collection for kids. Here is a list of some of the resources that may be used in this process, and that we may use during the book drive, should the need arise.
The California Department of Education Recommended Literature database and website.
The City of Camarillo Public Library database and librarians.
Publisher age and grade recommendations listed on publisher websites.
Goodreads and Amazon reviews and age/grade recommendations.
Reviews in industry-trusted publications such as Publisher’s Weekly, KIrkus, School Library Journal, Booklist, Scholastic, and more.
Awards such as the Newbery Medal, the California Young Reader Medal, the Coretta Scott-King Award, the Sibert Medal, the Edgar Awards, and more.
Consultation with professional librarians, teachers, booksellers, authors, readers, and parents.
The Ventura County Office of Education Librarian will do a final screening to ensure books meet district policy guidelines.
What will happen if you can’t accept my books, or if you take them and then find out later they don’t meet criteria? If you bring books to the collection on December 6 and we can’t accept them, we will give you a list of recommended donation places. If we accept your books and then realize later that they don’t actually meet our criteria, they will be donated to an organization that will give them a good home, such as the ones we recommend on this site. We do NOT throw books away.
**Why aren’t you taking self-published books? We wish we could! There are so many new and emerging authors making great stories. Unfortunately, there is little information available on most self-published books, and without taking the time to read, discuss, review, and consult with education and library professionals, it’s impossible to quickly determine suitability and back up a decision for inclusion. But if you are a creator and you’re reading this, please keep creating! We need every voice!
What happens to the books after the drive? We will work with the district to finalize selection and transport books to schools. We anticipate books being placed in classrooms in early January.