Buy a book, donate a book this weekend

By Rina Laby

This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Boston Public Library will be holding its bimonthly City-Wide Friends Book Sale at the Copley Square branch. 

At the same time, in 2022, 58% of Boston public schools’ lacked their own full-time libraries with staff. This is mainly due to a lack of funding at many schools that can't afford to maintain these facilities. This is why On The Same Page is collecting books—because we believe that all students in Boston deserve to have access to books entitling students to a more quality education. 

The BPL on Saturday will be selling books, DVDs, CDs, and records. The $1 sale is appropriate for all age groups, and they will also have plenty of children’s books and chapter books. If you stop by, you can pick up a book to donate to On The Same Page Boston for only a dollar by giving to a local tatte! The nearest Tatte Bakery & Cafe to the Boston Public Library is no more than a 5 minute walk, near Emerson College’s Little Building. The proceeds from the sale go to the City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library, a community-based organization that supports the Boston Public Library.

While the BPL is selling its extra resources, in 2025, about 40% of fourth graders and a third of eighth graders were reading at a level below the National Assessment of Educational Progress Basic Level, according to The Nation’s Report Card. In Massachusetts, six out of 10 children cannot read or do math at grade level.

In the 2025–2026 school year, 80.9% of Boston’s district schools were classified as “High Needs,” meaning they fall under either low-income, English Language Learners, or students with disabilities.

Quite a few On The Same Page team members plan to attend the sale, and we hope you do too! Please consider buying an age appropriate book to donate to On The Same Page at any of our ten Tatte partner locations, so that we can support the Ohrenberger school’s library and your impact can last for generations!