Marie is the media and content coordinator for the New Orleans Public Library
For the past three years, the New Orleans Public Library and 826 New Orleans have been working together to present Reading Buddies x Wee Write, a multi-week program that pairs K-2nd graders with teens to read and write together.
In 2024, Kristin Glass-Bradley signed her 5-year-old son, Dreux, up for the program and has participated in every session since. Now 7 years old, Glass-Bradley said Dreux loves to read out loud to his family. The Library’s Spring 2026 Reading Buddies session started in early March, and Glass-Bradley was excited to enroll Dreux for a fourth time. Glass-Bradley said he especially enjoys the writing element of the program and that he has become more independent since he started attending Reading Buddies.
“Dreux enjoys having free will to be creative with stories and illustrations of course the evening snacks. He always enjoyed each reading buddy he had, even when he’d switch during the series he adjusted well to new buddies,” Glass-Bradley said. “Dreux became extremely comfortable, he’d say ‘See you later, mommy,’ and that says a lot coming from him. He’s usually a Velcro kiddo. We greatly appreciate the warm and welcoming environment Reading Buddies have created over the last few seasons.”
Dana Beuhler said her daughter Iris had a similar experience in the program, with Reading Buddies noticeably increasing her confidence.
“She gets good grades in reading at school, and she enjoys reading. So, I didn’t feel like there was anything lacking. I just felt like it was something that would the enriching for her and that she would really enjoy,” Beuhler said.
During the first few sessions, Beuhler said Iris was a little nervous, but that by the end of the program, she’d warmed up to her reading buddy, Sasha, who helped her come out of her shell. Beuhler said the individual attention from an older student was an important piece to the puzzle for Iris.
“I know she’s learning reading and writing in school, but I don’t think she’s able to get that much individual help with reading out-loud especially. With 15-17 kids to one teacher, there’s only so much you can do to have one-on-one time.” Beuhler said.
“Iris doesn’t have any older siblings, so being able to read with an older kid who was really spending time with her and engaging with her made her feel special.”
Beuhler and her family regularly visit the Library, which also helped make the program more effective, she said.
“I bring Iris and her little sister to the Library all the time, and they love coming here. So, knowing that the program would be somewhere that she’s already comfortable was definitely a plus,” she said. “And it’s nice, because while Iris is reading with her buddy, I bring my youngest daughter to the children’s area and we get to spend some special one-on-one time together, too.”
Librarian Kelly Jones helped facilitate past Reading Buddies sessions, and she said it was a joy to watch each child and teen volunteer learn together while forming bonds.
“Becoming a strong and independent reader takes time and can feel hard, but this program provides developing readers a supportive space to build upon their literacy skills in fun and engaging ways. Not only are they surrounded by peers working towards the same end goal, but thanks to our dedicated Big Reading Buddy volunteers, they’re also forming positive relationships with teen mentors who champion their reading and writing achievements along the way,” Jones said. “And I love that through this literacy enrichment program a collaborative and diverse community is created each season.”
In addition to reading together, the program incorporates elements from 826 New Orleans’ LitUp! Initiative so each participant can create their own original books every session to take home with them.
Amy Wander, head of adult programming at the New Orleans Public Library, said the program’s format is designed to “inspire reluctant readers by offering a positive reading role model.”
“And, by bringing the LitUp! curriculum into our Reading Buddies format, the kids get to expand their home libraries with books that they made with their own imagination, which we hope will get them even more excited to read,” Wander said.
Brittany Thierry, 826 New Orleans’ Early Childhood Education Program Manager, said working with the Library directly aligns with the LitUp! mission to bring the joy of writing to youth across the city.
“LitUp! is 826 New Orleans’ suite of early education programming that aims to engage young learners with literacy and storytelling skills, nurture their voices, develop their reading and writing skills, and promote a lifetime of academic and professional success,” Thierry said. “We are thrilled to bring our Wee Write reading, writing, and bookmaking curriculum into the New Orleans Public Library’s peer-to-peer Reading Buddies program, with the goal of passing a love of reading and writing to the next generation.”
The Reading Buddies x Wee Write program also gives older students like Jermari Brown the chance to earn service hours and build new skills. Brown is an 8th grader at Audubon Charter School Uptown. She learned about Reading Buddies while researching volunteer options for teens to work with children.
“I really like kids and I’m thinking about pursuing childhood psychology as a career, so I wanted to find something that would let me see what working with kids would be like,” Brown said. “I also really like books and I love to read, so I was really excited when I found out about the Reading Buddies program. It just seemed like a really good fit.”
Brown was paired with Dreux, which she said was also a great match.
“Dreux has a really big imagination, so the writing part of the program was always a lot of fun. I never knew what he was going to come up with for his story, and it was always interesting to see where his mind would go,” she said.
“It was also cool to see his vocabulary growing while we worked together, and I could tell that we were both getting more comfortable with each other. I think the experienced improved both of our confidence, and I’m really happy I did it.”
Reading Buddies was Brown’s first time engaging with the New Orleans Public Library, but she said it won’t be her last.
“I signed up for the spring session, and I’m excited to keep volunteering with the Library,” she said.
Dreux’s mom said he enjoyed working with Jermari, especially how excited she was to listen to his ideas.
“Jermari kept him engaged and he was continuously excited to work with her,” Glass-Bradley said. “She always showed enthusiasm with Dreux. Although Dreux is reserved, he looks forward to Reading Buddies. He was never happy when the series came to an end, and always asked when would the next session start.”
Kris Green is a junior at Ben Franklin High School and a member of the mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, which is where she first heard about the opportunity.
“I really like kids, and I think I want to work with them when I’m older, so I thought this would be a good way to gain some experience and feel out what it would be like to work in that kind of field,” she said. “It ended up being really fun and made me feel more confident that working with kids is something I could actually do.”
Green grew up going to the Library and said she wishes there had been a program like Reading Buddies when she was younger.
“I’ve always loved reading at home and to myself, but I did not like doing it in school, especially when we had to read out loud,” she said. “If I’d have started with a program like this to get me used to reading out loud instead of just in my head, I think I would have been less afraid to it in school.”
Overall, Green said she loved getting to know her reading buddy and watching him grow as a reader.
“He was in kindergarten and it was rewarding to figure out what he needed to stay focused and engaged,” Green said. “In the last week, I was so proud that he was making visible progress. He remembered what certain letters sounded like together that he didn’t know the week before. It was just really cool to see that and be a part of it.”
Reading Buddies x Wee Write is currently closed and not accepting sign-ups. For more information about becoming a teen volunteer at the Library, visit teens.nolalibrary.org. Reading Buddies x Wee Write is sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library. Keep an eye out for upcoming Reading Buddies sessions on our events calendar, or subscribe to the Library’s email list to get information about upcoming programs, services, and Library news straight to your inbox.
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