Gemma Literacy

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Gemma Literacy

Literacy is a human right. Gemma Open Door for Literacy provides smart stories at low reading levels to help adults and young people learn to love reading.

GemmaMedia features memoirs from around the world, literary fiction and non-fiction, the Gemma Open Door adult literacy series for new readers, and current affairs publishing with diversity at the heart of the story.

09/24/2026

We are excited to introduce our newest SnapRead!, created to introduce KIDNAPPED by Elisabeth Felton.

Gemma's SnapReads! are short (about 200 words), five-part excerpts written at approximately a first-grade reading level. They walk emerging readers through the story step by step, building confidence with characters, plot, and vocabulary as they go. SnapReads! are on-ramps to the bigger book!

Bring this gripping story into your classroom today. Download your free SnapRead! at https://bit.ly/snapreads.

💙 Gemma's free teaching resources are made possible through generous donations. To support our work, make a gift today.💙

09/22/2026

This quote from Kofi Annan captures something we believe deeply at Gemma: that literacy is not a privilege, but a basic human right.

It is the road to opportunity, and every adult learner deserves the chance to walk it. 🌍

We are proud to stand alongside educators, tutors, and literacy organizations working every day to make that opportunity real.💙

09/18/2026

Happy Read an eBook Day! Today is a reminder that access to a great story can take many forms. 📖📱

Gemma's eBooks make it possible for adult literacy students to read HiLo titles anytime, anywhere, on the device that works best for them. It is one more way we are working to meet learners where they learn.

Discover resources for your classroom at gemmamedia.org. 💙

09/14/2026

Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (AEFL Week) runs September 14 through 18, 2026, and we are delighted to celebrate alongside educators, tutors, and programs across the country. 💙

This week is a reminder of what is possible when adults are able to expand their reading, numeracy, and digital skills. It is also a reminder of the dedication behind every classroom, tutoring session, and program that makes this work possible.📖

Visit COABE.org for a full list of ways to participate in AEFL Week.✨

Adult learners deserve our continued support, and so do the teachers who show up for them every day.

09/10/2026

Looking for a HiLo book to add to your shelves?

KIDNAPPED by Elisabeth Felten tells the story of Sam, a young man with cerebral palsy who lives a full life with the support of his group home, wheelchair, and iPad. Sam is in charge of his own life. And he has dreams. ✨

Everything changes when his estranged brother, also his legal guardian, arrives with a plan to take control of Sam's trust, and his life.

Sam is moved 700 miles from home and left without a voice. With the help of neighbors, social workers, old friends, and the court system, he fights to reclaim control of his story.

Will Sam find his way home? Find out at https://bit.ly/4iHkedk /. 📖

09/08/2026

Happy International Literacy Day! 🌍

It’s been six decades since proclaimed International Literacy Day in 1966, and yet, the mission remains the same: to ensure literacy opens doors to opportunity, dignity, and connection for people of every age.

At Gemma, we see this every day through the adult learners, tutors, and programs who use our materials. Every book, every lesson, and every small breakthrough add up to something larger: a more literate, more connected, and more empowered world.

Today, we celebrate the educators and volunteers who make that growth possible, and the adult learners whose courage and persistence inspire us every day.

09/03/2026

We’re proud to have Kyoko as a Gemma author! 💙📚

Her award-winning first novel, SHIZUKO'S DAUGHTER, was praised by The New York Times as "a jewel of a book." Since then, her acclaimed works have grown to include YARN, POLITE LIES, THE DREAM OF WATER, STONE FIELD TRUE ARROW, and ONE BIRD, with writing that has also appeared in The American Scholar, the Harvard Review, and the Kenyon Review. Kyoko currently teaches at George Mason University and lives in Washington, DC.

And Kyoko has given us BARN CAT, a charming story in the Gemma HiLo series that has become a favorite!

To purchase your copy of YARN and BARN CAT visit: https://bit.ly/3eDkdaI and https://bit.ly/4zCg7sC.

09/01/2026

Happy Literacy Month! 📖

This month, we celebrate the adult learners on the path to full literacy, and the tutors and volunteers who support them every day.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to celebrate and support literacy. What's your favorite way?

08/27/2026

It's been a wonderful few months connecting with the literacy community. 🤝

Thanks to your generous donations, we attended multiple adult literacy conferences, as well as the London Book Fair 🌍. Along the way, we were delighted to connect with old friends, like-minded literacy teachers, nonprofits, and independent book publishers.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Gemma booth to say hi. 📚

Stay tuned as we continue to share Gemma's HiLo books with others in the publishing and adult literacy space. ✨

08/25/2026

We’re saddened to learn of the passing of Dolly Parton.

She was many things to many people: a singer, a songwriter, an actress, and through her Imagination Library, a lifelong champion of children’s literacy and the joy of reading.

In the literacy community, her impact reached far beyond music. She understood that access to books shapes a person’s future, and she spent decades acting on that belief.

She will be missed.

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http://www.gemmamedia.org/

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