The Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL) has kicked off its 2025 city-wide reading initiative, where 5th-graders across the West Michigan city will read and discuss the same book.
Called the “One Book, One City” reading initiative, the annual program aims to improve literacy and strengthen collaboration between libraries and schools.
Katie Zychowski, the library’s marketing/communications director, said the initiative’s goal is also to “ignite a lifelong love for reading (and) foster meaningful discussions.” The program is a partnership specifically with Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS), where all the district’s 5th-graders will receive a copy of the book and discuss it as part of their curriculum.There are around 1,150 5th-graders enrolled in the GRPS district, according to state data from last year. English language arts proficiency in the Grand Rapids area’s largest district currently varies, according to state testing numbers for the 2023-24 school year.
Zychowski said the initiative will help foster a love of reading for students at an age when their enjoyment of reading can otherwise begin to drop off. “By spending months deeply engaging with the chosen book, and then meeting the author face-to-face, students create connections between literature and their own lives,” she said.
In February, they’ll also have a chance to meet the author. This year, the One Book, One City reading initiative selected a fiction novel by award-winning author Varian Johnson. Johnson’s 2021 novel, Playing the Cards You’re Dealt, centers around 10-year-old Anthony Joplin, who’s finally excited to be old enough to play in a card tournament before he loses his partner and must team up with someone unexpected.
The author’s visit with Johnson will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, at St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NE. There, Johnson will discuss his writing process and answer questions about his book.
Erin Hart, a youth services librarian at GRPL, said she’s excited to see students’ responses to the chosen book and “their joy at actually getting to meet the person who wrote it.”
“Recently a kid came into the main library and saw our One Book, One City display,” she said. “He enthusiastically told staff how he was reading that book in school and he was so excited to get to do One Book, One City this year. It’s an initiative that reaches an incredible number of kids, (and) I’m looking forward to seeing kids’ responses to ‘Playing the Cards You’re Dealt’ and its themes.”
The program is funded by the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation, the Wege Foundation and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. This year’s book sponsors included Independent Bank and the Missad Foundation.
By Danielle James | mLIVE