Following a study that found students of color lacked representation in books included in the NYC school curriculum, an educational advocacy group is pushing for changes by the summer, reports Amsterdam News.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Indian Country Today offers a list of children’s books from Native writers as told from their perspective, rather than the “feel-good” stories of Pilgrim and Indian bonding that line bookshelves this time of year.

A publisher wanted Helen Wan to change her protagonist to a white woman. But the first-time author refused. World Journal reports on the novel and the author’s own challenges in both the law profession and the publishing industry.

“Half block party, half book bash,” Saturday’s Page Turner Festival blends literary and pop culture.

Citing “fiscal challenges and technological changes,” the Department of Education is pushing for alternatives to certified school librarians, such as using teachers or volunteers, or putting libraries in classrooms, reports City Limits.

Luis Ramos has a set of wheels that move with him from borough to borough – wheels in the form of a shopping cart that houses the Mobile Indigenous Library, which he hopes helps people connect to their native roots, reports Manhattan Times.

Independent bookstore Word Up has signed a new lease on life in Washington Heights, reports Manhattan Times. The bookstore and community space has struggled to fill the dearth of bookstores in Upper Manhattan.

The McKinley Park branch of the Brooklyn Public Library in caters to a heavily Chinese immigrant population. But, as Brooklyn Bureau reports, years of funding cuts have hindered a library that has the particular task of serving immigrant patrons.

A new program, the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards, will celebrate the unique ways in which the city’s local libraries serve the city’s diverse communities by offering five branch libraries a cash prize of $10,000 each.

The pop-up bookstore Bureau of General Services-Queer Division opened last fall in the Lower East Side. The Lo-Down speaks with its owners who explain why they call it a “queer bookstore.”

“Papers: Stories by Undocumented Youth” compiles the stories of undocumented young people between 10 and 32 years of age, in hopes of giving a human angle to the controversial issue, reports Colorlines.

When Hue-Man, a bookstore that catered to a Black audience, shut its doors in the summer, its CEO said it would change its business model. Within a few months, the store has hosted pop-up events and gone online.

The Korea Daily interviews Jay Caspian Kang, author of “The Dead Do Not Improve,” a novel about the Virginia Tech Massacre. Kang says he explored concepts of Korean emotions and how they related to the shooter and the community.

One independent bookstore, Word Up, struggles to stay alive, as another, Hue-Man, closes its doors after 10 years, the Manhattan Times reports. Meanwhile, Amsterdam News highlights other bookstores focused on black culture citywide.

We came across two stories of independent bookstores last week — one that’s thriving in Harlem, and one that closed its doors in the Bronx. But in both situations, the owners’ commitment to spreading a love of reading is steadfast.