Madeleine Chin, of Great Neck, shares love of books with others

A Great Neck girl who loves literature is striving to promote the importance of reading to children in underserved communities.

Madeleine Chin, 12, has been donating books to schools in low-income neighborhoods and delivering presentations on topics including the health benefits of reading through her nonprofit organization Mindful Reading. The organization, founded in February, has donated more than 2,500 new and used children’s books to various schools, with Madeleine presenting to hundreds of students at six schools in Queens.

Madeleine is also the author of two self-published fiction novels for teens and young adults — each of which exceeds 50,000 words — and is now working on her third book, she said. She also received the bronze-level President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national honor, this past spring for completing more than 50 hours of community service in a 12-month span.

“I was inspired to form Mindful Reading because my readers reached out to me and in their e-mails told me how I have inspired them to never give up even if they’re just kids,” said Madeleine, who will enter the eighth grade next month at Great Neck South Middle School. “I wanted to make a greater and more immediate impact on these children.”

The organization secured thousands of books through giveaways and low-priced sales at places ranging from local libraries and bookstores to Facebook Marketplace, Madeleine said. She has also received numerous book donations from family and friends as well as from the Freeport-based nonprofit Book Fairies.

Madeleine distributes the books by reaching out to teachers at Title I schools, which receive extra federal funding to help students from low-income families succeed in academic settings, she said. She also gives away books by hosting “pop-up reading corners” at locations including Cutter Mill Park in Great Neck.

“Reading has so many mental health benefits,” Madeleine said of her nonprofit’s importance. “Books will always have a place for people if they’re suffering or have internal conflicts. Or, sometimes, when there is not an adult around to help out, books can be good.”

One person who praised Madeleine’s efforts educating her students on the importance of reading and writing was Marissa Fisher, a fourth-grade teacher at the Jamaica Children’s Magnet School for Innovative Leadership and Civic Activism, PS 312Q in Queens.

“From the moment she arrived, her kindness and thoughtfulness were evident,” Fisher said in a statement. “She engaged our students with warmth and authenticity, taking the time to explain her writing process in a way that was both accessible and inspiring. She helped our students see that writing is not only possible, but exciting and creative.”

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.