When Sophia Parekh was seven, she noticed that not every child had the same access to books.
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child → notice → books
It was during the Covid pandemic, when many families were struggling financially, and buying books was not always possible.
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buying → struggle → books
Sophia, who loved reading, decided to do something about it.
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who → love → it
She started collecting books and giving them away to children who needed them.
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who → start → them
Five years later, the 12-year-old from Westfield, New Jersey, has distributed more than 8,000 free books across the United States through her initiative, Sophia's Book Stand.
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old → distribute → initiative
What makes her project different is that she does not simply collect books and send them to families.
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she → make → families
She tries to find out what each child enjoys reading and chooses books accordingly.
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child → try → books
The little girl's aim is to make sure children receive something they would actually like to read.
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they → make → something
The initiative has grown beyond individual families.
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initiative → grow → families
Sophia now also helps teachers obtain books for classrooms in underserved schools and works with organisations that support families in need.
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that → help → need
Her efforts have earned her recognition as a runner-up for the 2026 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
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efforts → earn → Heroes
Idea becomes nationwide project
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Idea → become → ?
According to the official website of Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, Sophia introduced an online request form where parents could provide their children's ages, interests, and addresses.
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parents → accord → ages
The project distributes free books in like-new condition, allowing families to receive reading material without having to purchase it.
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families → distribute → it
Sophia explained the process during an event listed by the Rotary Club of Fanwood-Scotch Plains earlier this month.
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Sophia → explain → Plains
“People fill out an online form where they put what their age is, and they also put their address, so we know where to send the books to.
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we → fill → books
They put some of their interests so that we can try to find a book that they like,” she said.
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she → put → that
The same arrangement is available to teachers who need books for their classrooms.
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who → need → classrooms
They can submit requests, allowing Sophia to select material suitable for their students.
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Sophia → submit → students
As requests increased, Sophia began working with other organisations to reach more children.
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Sophia → increase → children
These include the Moms Helping Moms Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Newark.
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These → include → Newark
The partnerships have helped her connect with families beyond Westfield.
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her → help → Westfield
Other organisations also distribute books, allowing the initiative to support children in different communities.
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initiative → distribute → communities
Help from school, well-known authors
Sophia has received support from her local community, including Franklin Elementary School in Westfield.
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Sophia → know → Westfield
Her mother, Nipa Parekh, said the school holds a book collection drive during its annual community service night.
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school → say → night
“We do a big book drive with them through their community service night every year, which also brings in a ton of books,” Nipa said, as quoted by the Rotary Club.
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Nipa → do → Club
The project received wider attention about a year after it began, when Sophia appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show.
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Sophia → receive → Show
The television appearance brought contributions from Disney and several well-known authors.
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appearance → bring → Disney
That support has continued since.
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support → continue → ?
During the October Rotary Club event, Sophia said she was working with author Mary Pope Osborne, who was interested in donating books.
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who → say → books
By that time, Sophia's Book Stand had more than 1,000 books ready to distribute, following recent donation drives and contributions from authors.
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books → have → authors
However, the project still needs certain kinds of books.
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project → need → books
Spanish-language books, bilingual titles and books representing diverse backgrounds are particularly sought after because teachers frequently request them for their classrooms.
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teachers → represent → classrooms
While donated books provide the reading material, money helps cover the cost of getting them to children, teachers and organisations.
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money → donate → children
“The monetary donations really help to get the books to kids that are requesting books, as well as teachers and organizations,” Nipa said.
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Nipa → help → teachers
Reaching children who cannot request online
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who → reach → children
Although Sophia's Book Stand has distributed thousands of books, the online request system presents a challenge for some families.
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system → distribute → families
Those living in low-income communities without reliable internet access may find it difficult to complete the form.
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it → live → form
Sophia and her family hope to make the project accessible to these families as well.
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project → hope → families
She has also expressed interest in taking the initiative beyond the United States so that children in other countries can receive books.
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children → express → books
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
