delight
For 30 years she's handed out books, not candy
The neighborhood gives out candy. She gives out the next book in the series.
Judy Newman hands out books instead of candy on Halloween, and has done so from her Montclair, New Jersey front yard for 30 years. A former Scholastic executive, she started what she calls Trick-or-Read in the 1990s after running her kids' school book fair and noticing how many children owned no books at all. The first year drew hundreds of trick-or-treaters, who picked from piles sorted by age and topic. Now thousands come, some traveling from nearby counties, and many sit down in the yard to start reading before they leave. Kids return yearly to report back. Some loved last year's pick and want the next in the series. Some admit they didn't like it, and Judy helps them find another. One boy who first came at age eight returned years later, pushing his own baby in a stroller. Judy, now founder of the United States of Readers, still becomes the Book Lady every October 31st.
