Book Worm Angels Come to Wilmette May 20

Information provided by Wilmette resident Barbara Keer.

Book Worm Angels, a literacy organization that promotes the development of recreational reading habits among students, will be coming to Wilmette May 20.

The organization will be hosting a reception for children's author Blue Balliette at , 800 Gilson Park Dr., Wilmette, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Each child in
attendance will receive free books as well as other items.

Balliett will read excerpts from her children’s books and explain how she began
writing mysteries. The Chicago author’s first book, Chasing Vermeer, was a New
York Times bestseller. Now translated into 35 languages, it won the Edgar Award and the Chicago Tribune Prize for Young Adult Fiction. 

Balliette will be honored by Book Worm Angels with the 2012 Kermit W. Myers Achievement Award at the Lake view Center.

Myers, an Evanston resident, founded the non-profit to collect and distribute recreational reading books and to create classroom lending libraries in elementary schools in impoverished neighborhoods.

Since the organization started in 1999, Book Worm Angels has provided more than 2 million books for elementary school children. 

Wilmette residents Lee Frank, director of Book Drives for Book Worm Angels, has been involved since it’s inception.

“I was asked by Kermit Myers to make a few phone calls to help get books to kids in the inner city schools.  He was a patient of mine, and such a nice guy, I had to say, yes,” Frank said. “The need in the community overwhelmed me.  It broke my heart to learn that kids can’t even safely walk across the street to the
public library. Some libraries in the schools won’t let kids take books home at
all.”

She also feels that the over two million books that have been dispersed
have made a difference to the world. Because Lee loves to read, she
feels it is so important that children value reading as recreation and not only
associate reading with classwork.

The event is chaired by Book Worm Angels Director Christine Seidman. Tickets
are $35 for adults. Children accompanied by adults are free.

To purchase tickets, call 773-332-8091 or register online at www.BookwormAngels.org.