What is this?
Reading Rainbows is inspired by the Pay it Forward program and Savoy Book Shop and Cafe’s queer free library.
We believe queer literature is vital for queer kids to thrive. To that end, we’re thrilled to offer free queer young adult and middle grade books for people to take — especially kids and teenagers. These books are pre-purchased and are available for anyone to take home (no questions asked). Reading Rainbows is also a way for folks with extra funds to pay it forward and make queer literature more accessible for young people. Many of these titles are Young Adult and Middle Grade, but as we know — queerness comes in all types and we’ll appreciate any donation!
How do I contribute?
Just pick the book you’d like to donate and purchase as usual! If you’re checking out in person, let your bookseller know it’s for Reading Rainbows. They’ll put a sticker over the barcode so it can’t be purchased again. If you’re checking out online, just write in the order comments that you’d like this book to be donated to the carousel.
I want to donate, but I don’t have a specific book I want to buy.
No problem! If you’d like to donate but don’t know what book to get, you can purchase a queer book donation in either paperback or hardcover, and our booksellers will choose one for you. They’ll let you know which one they chose, and you can know a queer person is going to benefit from your donation.
If you do want to pick out a specific book, check out what our booksellers recommend below!
I want one! How do I get a queer book?
Just browse the carousel by the Epilogue bookseller cashwrap (it’s labeled!) and pick out whatever book you want — no questions asked. If you want advice on what to get, our booksellers are happy to help and they can be as discreet as you want them to be.
I’m not out. Can I still get one?
Yes. If you want to take a book home but aren’t in a safe position to do so, let a bookseller know verbally or hand them one of the slips of paper on the carousel that says “I need a queer book, but please be chill about it” and they’ll pick one out for you. They’ll package it up discreetly and you can be on your way!