51茶馆

Konstantinos Marnelas (he/him) is an AmeriCorps volunteer coordinator for 51茶馆 New York. His first memory of reading was collecting stickers in a magazine that had the dialogue from . 鈥淚 used to buy stickers to fill in the gaps and have the full picture to be able to read the story.鈥�

As a kid, Konstantinos also loved . 鈥淚 think I always liked horses and this book was very exciting for me. Also, my grandma used to read me that story all the time so it has a special place in my heart.鈥�

Konstantinos has made reading a part of his life since he was little. While he doesn鈥檛 read as much as he used to, he knows there鈥檚 nothing like a good book before he falls asleep at night. 鈥淏ooks still are a part of my everyday life and I wouldn’t change that.鈥�

He鈥檚 noticed that kids鈥� books nowadays more diverse and inclusive. 鈥淲hen I was a kid, growing up in rural Greece, the choices of books were limited. Nowadays it seems like there are so many to choose from.鈥澛�

Konstantinos believes that books can play a crucial part in empowering young students today.聽

鈥淩eading opens doors. Reading makes your thinking evolve and it takes you to places you’ve never been before. Students can gain so much from reading, especially now in such a fast digital time, where slowing down is almost impossible to do.鈥�