Donna Jo Napoli’s most popular books for young readers include; Stones in Water, The Smile and Alligator Bayou. In her 68 books for readers of all ages, her writing ranges from contemporary fiction to fantasy to historical novels. Her books have won national awards, including the Sydney Taylor Award, the Parents’ Choice Gold Award (and two Silver awards), the Golden Kite Award (and an honor book), the Anne Izard’s Storytellers’ Choice Award, the Frances and Wesley Bock Book Award, the Sons of Italy National Book Club selection, as well as numerous American Library Association best book awards.

Napoli will visit schools in the City of Richmond and in the counties of Henrico, Hanover, and Chesterfield reaching over 1,500 area students with these free in-school presentations. In addition, students will participate in book club style events that celebrate Napoli’s books, which are provided at no cost by the League. In this financially challenging time for local school districts, the League will provide nearly 600 books to students as part of the Junior Book & Author program.

About Junior Book & Author Events

The Junior Book & Author event is a program that reaches out to local middle school children, a demographic that often lacks special literacy efforts by other organizations and programs. The intent of JLR’s event is to foster a love of reading and writing by providing the unique opportunity to learn about and visit with an author through personal school visits, Chat ‘n’ Chew book clubs, and the annual Be a Junior Author writing competition.

Founded in 1926, the Junior League of Richmond is an organization of women committed to the mission of promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The Junior League of Richmond’s vision is to empower, educate, and enhance the quality of life for women, youth, and families, with an emphasis in the East End community, through effective programming and collaboration.