I work a routine Monday through Friday, 8-to-5 schedule so I needed something that was flexible (given that my availability came down to only weekends). I did an Austin Citysearch for volunteer opportunities, and nothing caught my fancy until I discovered In2Books. The more I read the more I realized In2Books was the perfect fit for me.

In a nutshell, In2Books is the modern day pen pal but the old pencil, paper and snail mail route has been given a facelift through email. First things first, you must apply via In2books.com. Please note that membership is free however there is a $6 fee for screening. (Come on, you can spare six bucks to ensure the kiddies aren’t receiving spam from some creep can’t you?) After you pass the background check, you’re in! The organization will pair you with a student between third and fifth grade who will be your E-Pal for the year. Plus, the In2Books website works as a nifty little portal that has a writing center equipped with a personalized inbox, outbox and schedule. The website also offers tips and tutorials to help you out in the event you get stuck anywhere along the way.

The program consists of six emails, the first being an introduction or “Getting to Know You” email. Your E-Pal will then select five books to read throughout the year. To acquire the selected reading, you can purchase the book at a discounted price using the In2Books website or hit Half Price Books as an alternative. I check out my books at my local Austin Public Library, which has proven to be most helpful. I can search for the assigned book on my public library’s database and place a hold for pick up. If for some reason the location closest to me doesn’t have it, not only will the library transfer it to the desired location, the transfer is free! Once you have finished reading each book you send an email with thought-provoking questions about the book to your little E-pal, who will reply with their answers and so forth. In2Books encourages the students to identify and analyze important themes in the stories they read and will even give you suggested questions you can use.

This is my first time participating in the In2Books program and I have found it to be a wonderful experience. It is an incredibly easy to use program and hardly takes much time at all. Not only have I developed a relatively close relationship with my E-Pal, I also look forward to her emails and am very proud of her level of critical thinking. Most importantly, I know that she too looks forward to my emails and is enthusiastic to move on to the next book. So, Einstein, you were right! I recommend taking the time to cheer someone else up and also checking out the In2Books program.