Barbershop Books

10/13/2026

A barbershop visit can become a reading moment. 📖

By placing books in trusted neighborhood spaces, Barbershop Books helps children experience reading as joyful, accessible, and part of everyday life.

These moments matter because they help children see themselves as readers.

📸💈: Polished PROFESSIONALS Barber Shop, Cleveland, OH⁠

10/06/2026

Our newest book list is here! 📚✨
This month’s picks are full of imagination, neighborhood joy, cookie chaos, magical creatures, animal facts, superhero adventures, ancestral power, and pets that may not be what they seem.
Featured books:
📚 Snake & Bat: What Will We Find in This Box? by Mo Willems
📚 My Neighborhood by DelanoBrownBooks
📚 Pete the Cat and the Cookie Catastrophe by James Dean and Kimberly Dean
📚 Dragon Dog by Suzanne Lang
📚 Press Start: Battle of the Super Rabbit Boys by Thomas Flintham
📚 What Would You Rather Be?: A King Penguin or a King Cobra? by Jerry Pallotta 🦞
📚 These Are the Avengers by Thomas Macri and Kim Anderson
📚 Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell HQ
📚 Jax Freeman and the Graveyard Forest by Kwame Mbalia
📚 Game of Pets by Aaron Blabey
Whether your young reader loves funny stories, superheroes, animals, magical adventures, graphic novels, or stories about community and belonging, this list has something to make reading feel fun and exciting.
Swipe through to explore all 10 books, then share this list with a parent, caregiver, educator, or young reader!

09/28/2026

🏀 Shook by Julian Randall⁠
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Shake dreams of making the varsity basketball team, but an injury puts everything at risk. This heartfelt middle grade novel explores basketball, identity, setbacks, and finding your way back.⁠
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📖 Ages 9 to 12⁠
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09/24/2026

🪐 TIME for Kids: Planets by Sarah Jospitre⁠
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Explore Mars, Pluto, water in space, and more in this photo-filled early reader. This book is perfect for curious young readers who love science, space, and big questions about the universe.⁠
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📖 Ages 6 to 9⁠
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09/23/2026

🏕️ David’s Diary: The Summer Camp Disaster by Bunmi Laditan⁠
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David is excited for his first sleepaway camp, but one embarrassing moment threatens to ruin the whole week. This funny diary-style story explores big feelings, camp chaos, and finding a better way forward.⁠
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📖 Ages 6 to 9⁠
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09/18/2026

We were proud to help celebrate the launch of Barbershop Books in partnership with the Onondaga Community College Foundation, The Syracuse City School District, Onondaga County Public Libraries, and local barbers.

By bringing books into trusted community spaces, this initiative helps inspire a love of reading and improve literacy outcomes for children. We're grateful to support this collaborative effort and the partners working together to make a lasting impact in our community.

09/18/2026

Happy Read an E-Book Day! 📚✨

Today, we’re highlighting a title from the Barbershop Books E-Library: Oh Brother, My Brother by Brandon D. Campbell.

This warm and heartfelt story follows Ohmar and Mychael, two brothers with different personalities, big imaginations, and a bond shaped by laughter, rivalry, love, and family.

With conversation questions at the end of each chapter, this book also invites children and caregivers to talk, reflect, and connect.

Explore Oh Brother, My Brother and other fun titles in the Barbershop Books E-Library using the link below.

https://barbershopbooks.org/elibrary/oh-brother-my-brother/

09/18/2026

Barbershop Books has been selected as one of 26 teams advancing in the ATS Hub Ideas Challenge, a national competition backed by the Institute of Education Sciences and led by Digital Promise and SRI International. Our project, "Accelerating literacy growth with reading identity development" advanced in the Early Childhood and Grades K-5 category.

The Ideas Challenge looks for scalable, breakthrough ideas that build student agency and academic knowledge. Reading identity development has been at the center of our work since 2013. When children see themselves as a reader, they read more, and reading more leads to better reading and life outcomes. This simple theory of change sparked our national movement, which now supports over 200 colorful, kid-sized bookshelves in neighborhood barbershops nationwide, reaching more than 23,000 children each month.

We are proud to represent the children, families, and communities who believe every child deserves to say “I’m a reader!” More to come.

The ATS Hub selects 26 teams to advance to the next round of the Ideas Challenge