This past Thursday was the last day of Summer Story Boost at Garden Quarter. As with all new things, there were a few kinks to work out. The book shelves we had hoped to have in place by the end of June did not get built, however a fellow teacher gave three of her own bookshelves to house all of the novels and picture books A to Z had donated. Some weeks, we had plenty of volunteers, while other weeks, we had just a few, but I was encouraged by new faces involved with A to Z this summer. And since Summer Story Boost was a drop-in program, some kids didn’t stay to read, which is hard not to take personally. But here’s what kept me going – Ruby and Fernando may not have always stuck around, but Justino and America came every week, ready to dive into a story. My job was to show up with a great book, to encourage conversation, and to share the love of reading.