The current selection of summer reading bundles at Booked, ranging from the kindergarten reading level to the fifth grade. Photo by Lina Park / Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute
Four years ago, Betsy Haberl led her two toddlers to the miniature door of Evanston’s Booked, hoping to find a new bedtime story. Today, she’s the store’s co-owner — committed to nurturing a love for reading in all children, not just her own.
Prior to working as a bookseller, Haberl said she hadn’t “ever really loved a job.”
“There is something about a one room bookstore that is so charming and mystical,” she said. “No one can get lost, and it has really become a neighborhood store with friendly staff and a small but diverse selection of books.”
Founded by Evanston resident Chelsea Elward in 2018, the 800-square-foot store on Main Street carries graphic novels, picture books, adult fiction, cookbooks and literary-themed gifts.
The Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report found a significant drop in reading enjoyment and frequency as kids age. This summer, responding to the national decline in reading for pleasure — especially in tweens — Booked introduced summer reading bundles.
“We all hope to help kids find a book that is different from what is assigned at school,” Haberl said. “The foundation of the idea was to depart from the library summer programs and give kids a chance to keep the books they read.”
Each bundle includes three hand-picked books, a bookmark, a notepad and a QR code linking to digital annotation guides. Haberl and fellow co-owner Abby Dan partnered with the PTA at Walker Elementary School to help source the bundles affordably.
With funding secured through the PTA, the store was able to negotiate lower prices on the books and distribute several bundles to students during the last week of school.
These reading kits feature lesser-known books from independent publishers. Though Haberl describes titles like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Dog Man” as “guaranteed income boosts,” she wanted to prioritize under-the-radar stories.
“People don’t come to us for a bestseller, they come to us for an editorial eye,” she said. “We offer books that you can’t find in Target or Barnes & Noble.”
Alongside curating distinctive book selections for the bundles and beyond, the co-owner is mindful of how today’s culture increasingly favors short-form entertainment.
“There are a lot of different ways to entertain kids that are faster dopamine hits than long-term reading books,” Haberl said. “We are not a society of delayed gratification anymore.”
Recognizing the rise of short-form entertainment, Haberl said Booked has made intentional efforts to reignite interest in books through both bundles and community programming.
Theresa Schoen, a new Booked employee, praised Haberl’s efforts.
“We have storytime twice a week with Mr. Gus, which is a popular event where kids have talked about books for hours on end,” Schoen said. “It is a community builder that helps youth learn how to read for enjoyment and not simply for school.”
Later this year, Booked plans to launch “Dumpster Fire,” a teen book club that pairs dystopian fiction with nonfiction tackling similar real-world issues — an effort to re-engage young adult readers. For Haberl, initiatives like this transcend more than just boosting sales or reading levels — they’re about the deeper impact of stories.
“I believe in the power of stories and that reading is the most effective way to build empathy in a child,” Haberl said. “With today’s political divide, statistics become meaningless and stories become more impactful in changing minds and encouraging action.”