Gemma Literacy

In recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we are excited to share a new lesson plan designed for the adult literacy classroom!

Every day, adults rely on technology to stay connected, manage their finances, and access essential services. For learners with low literacy, these everyday tasks can carry hidden barriers and real risks when it comes to staying safe online.

Help your students recognize voice scams created with generative AI, by downloading your free lesson plan at https://bit.ly/3FMJOjc! 💙

Gemma runs entirely on the generosity of supporters like you. 💙

Every HiLo book, audiobook, and teaching resource exists because of individual donations. Gemma receives no federal funding, which makes your gift even more impactful!

Your support allows Gemma to:
📚 Publish new HiLo books, eBooks, and audiobooks
📚 Create FREE teaching resources for tutors and educators
📚 Donate books to libraries and literacy programs across the continent
📚 Partner with other literacy nonprofits
Everyone deserves the opportunity to discover the joy of reading.

Your gift puts that opportunity within reach for adults and young adults with low literacy.

Join us in expanding access to reading, one book at a time. Donate today at https://gemmamedia.org/donate-now/.

We are excited to introduce our newest SnapRead!, created to introduce KIDNAPPED by Elisabeth Felton.

Gemma's SnapReads! are short (about 200 words), five-part excerpts written at approximately a first-grade reading level. They walk emerging readers through the story step by step, building confidence with characters, plot, and vocabulary as they go. SnapReads! are on-ramps to the bigger book!

Bring this gripping story into your classroom today. Download your free SnapRead! at https://bit.ly/snapreads.

💙 Gemma's free teaching resources are made possible through generous donations. To support our work, make a gift today.💙

This quote from Kofi Annan captures something we believe deeply at Gemma: that literacy is not a privilege, but a basic human right.

It is the road to opportunity, and every adult learner deserves the chance to walk it. 🌍

We are proud to stand alongside educators, tutors, and literacy organizations working every day to make that opportunity real.💙

Happy Read an eBook Day! Today is a reminder that access to a great story can take many forms. 📖📱

Gemma's eBooks make it possible for adult literacy students to read HiLo titles anytime, anywhere, on the device that works best for them. It is one more way we are working to meet learners where they learn.

Discover resources for your classroom at gemmamedia.org. 💙

Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (AEFL Week) runs September 14 through 18, 2026, and we are delighted to celebrate alongside educators, tutors, and programs across the country. 💙

This week is a reminder of what is possible when adults are able to expand their reading, numeracy, and digital skills. It is also a reminder of the dedication behind every classroom, tutoring session, and program that makes this work possible.📖

Visit COABE.org for a full list of ways to participate in AEFL Week.✨

Adult learners deserve our continued support, and so do the teachers who show up for them every day.

Looking for a HiLo book to add to your shelves?

KIDNAPPED by Elisabeth Felten tells the story of Sam, a young man with cerebral palsy who lives a full life with the support of his group home, wheelchair, and iPad. Sam is in charge of his own life. And he has dreams. ✨

Everything changes when his estranged brother, also his legal guardian, arrives with a plan to take control of Sam's trust, and his life.

Sam is moved 700 miles from home and left without a voice. With the help of neighbors, social workers, old friends, and the court system, he fights to reclaim control of his story.

Will Sam find his way home? Find out at https://bit.ly/4iHkedk /. 📖

Happy International Literacy Day! 🌍

It’s been six decades since proclaimed International Literacy Day in 1966, and yet, the mission remains the same: to ensure literacy opens doors to opportunity, dignity, and connection for people of every age.

At Gemma, we see this every day through the adult learners, tutors, and programs who use our materials. Every book, every lesson, and every small breakthrough add up to something larger: a more literate, more connected, and more empowered world.

Today, we celebrate the educators and volunteers who make that growth possible, and the adult learners whose courage and persistence inspire us every day.

We’re proud to have Kyoko as a Gemma author! 💙📚

Her award-winning first novel, SHIZUKO'S DAUGHTER, was praised by The New York Times as "a jewel of a book." Since then, her acclaimed works have grown to include YARN, POLITE LIES, THE DREAM OF WATER, STONE FIELD TRUE ARROW, and ONE BIRD, with writing that has also appeared in The American Scholar, the Harvard Review, and the Kenyon Review. Kyoko currently teaches at George Mason University and lives in Washington, DC.

And Kyoko has given us BARN CAT, a charming story in the Gemma HiLo series that has become a favorite!

To purchase your copy of YARN and BARN CAT visit: https://bit.ly/3eDkdaI and https://bit.ly/4zCg7sC.

Happy Literacy Month! 📖

This month, we celebrate the adult learners on the path to full literacy, and the tutors and volunteers who support them every day.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to celebrate and support literacy. What's your favorite way?