All Aboard for early literacy!
thank you smud! feeling love from my community!
I’m so proud to share that SMUD is sponsoring my upcoming Fairytale Town Storytime event by contributing some fun giveaways for kids & caregivers who attend my July 17th event. Having support from such a prominent hashtag#sacramento business means the world to me! SMUD does so much to promote Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development, Affordable and Reliable Electricity & much more! Thank you to the kind & friendly Community Relations & Outreach team for supporting my Sacramento nonprofit.
I’m on a mission to ensure all kids in Sacramento and beyond have access to literacy resources! Spread the word!
2025 Sacramento DOVIA Volunteer award!
I’m honored to be recognized by Sacramento DOVIA (Directors of Volunteers in Agencies) for my 3.5 years of volunteer service. I'm deeply grateful and remain committed to giving back to the Sacramento community by advocating for early literacy and inspiring as many young readers as possible.
E Train Talks, Inc., Turns THREE!
The past 3 years have been life changing. I’ve connected with thousands of children & teens across the country, as well as in my hometown of Sacramento, advocating for literacy, celebrating stories & working to end book deserts! Whether it was through giving books or knowledge, it warms my heart knowing I’ve impacted so many kids in a positive way. I’m not stopping after 3 years, because who wants to read a trilogy when you can check out a saga? Let’s keep this E Train rolling!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported my literacy journey! I've collected over 7000 brand new books and I'm on the road to 10,00 by the end of 2025! I’m forever grateful to everyone who's donated to this important cause!
I accepts no payment for my literacy work or my podcast interviews and book reviews. If you’d like to give to my nonprofit, your gift will go to directly to giving new books to underserved children, schools & communities.
200 new books for shriners Children's hospital!
HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY! This is the perfect time to thank the amazingly kind & generous Levine Querido Publishers
for donating 200 brand new beautiful Spanish language books to my nonprofit! All of these picture books & Young Adults stories are in Spanish & will be hand delivered during Giving Tuesday to Shriners Children's Hospital! These books are going to brighten up children’s lives! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART LEVINE QUERIDO!
Proud speaker at the 2025 CSLA Annaul conference
This was my first year presenting at the CA School Library Association Conference. I had an amazing time talking with library heroes about our mutual love of books, as well as having the opportunity to share my literacy journey! I also had the honor of meeting the one-and-only librarian & author John Schu! And, in case you're wondering, YES! He's just as wonderful in person! I'm excited to keep in touch with all of the wonderful book lovers I met and I hope to attend again in the future!
E Train Talks Takes The Sacramento Gold!
THE VOTES ARE IN!
E Train Talks, Inc., is a 1st Place 2024 -Gold Winning -Sacramento Favorite!
Thanks to all of my AMAZING book friends for casting your votes and supporting my literacy advocacy journey!
My heart is filled with gratitude!
I couldn’t be prouder!
I was a Guest on The MITLIN MONEY MINDSET PODCAST!
I'm so honored to be featured on the MITLIN MONEY MINDSET Podcast! Thank you Lawrence D Sprung for the wonderful chat & for spreading so much light and positivity in the world!
I was a Guest on the WRITERS WITH WRINKLES PODCAST!
It was a true privilege being a guest on the WRITERS WITH WRINKLES PODCAST! I was asked such engaging & interesting questions & had an amazing time chatting all things middle-grade books! Click the link or copy and paste. https://www.writerswithwrinkles.net/ETrain/
I was a Guest on The Jewish Lens Podcast!
It was such an honor to be interviewed on THE JEWISH LENS! Author and Host, Jonathon Rosen asked such interesting and thought-provoking questions, I had the chance to to talk about my reading and advocacy journey, as well as my personal experiences with antisemitism. Watch and be sure to follow THE JEWISH LENS on YouTube & social media!
I'm honored to be a recipient of the 2024 Spirit of San Juan Award!
I am full of pride. Thank you so much San Juan Unified SD for recognizing the literacy work I'm doing & a special thank you to the amazing Dyer-Kelly Principal Jamal Hicks for nominating me. I am beyond grateful and motivated now, more than ever, to continue my charge to advocate for early literacy & help end book deserts. Spreading book joy & changing the world one story at at time!
Present & Future Leaders Who Care®
I'm so grateful to be included in this “Leaders Who Care,” youth panel discussion. Thanks to the 5th Element Group for shining a light on so much positivity in the world!
Proud to be a Sacramento Literacy Foundation Summer Intern
This summer I was invited to be a summer intern for the Sacramento Literacy Foundation, where I volunteered my time helping promote all the incredible things The SLF does to advocate for early literacy. This was my first experience as an intern and it was a time I won't soon forget. I gained powerful experience in the fight for early literacy. Like the Sacramento Literacy Foundation it is also my mission to help close the reading gap and give ALL KIDS access to books! I hope to find more ways to partner with the SLF, as we both care deeply about children and are leading the charge for early literacy in our Sacramento communities!
"Community. It's more than just a location, it's place where people feel supported and valued."
I'm incredibly proud to be included in this meaningful GivingTuesday blog article. Being part of the GivingTuesdaySpark Community has been such a rewarding experience, I've been introduced to so many wonderful leaders who are out in the world spreading kindness and doing good in their own communities and beyond. Creating a global community of generosity is what I value most about being a part of Giving Tuesday!
Click the link to read the blog post:
https://www.givingtuesday.org/blog/inherent-strength-of-our-communities/
Meeting New York Times Best Selling Author & Storytelling Hero James Ponti
What a wonderful fan-filled mystery book event! It was an absolute honor to moderate the one-and-only NYT Bestselling middle-grade author James Ponti at the Avid Reader Bookstore
Attended by a lovely audience full of book lovers. Kids young & old came to listen & meet their and my storytelling hero hero James Ponti! It was such a happy occasion. James’ answers to my questions were thought provoking, humorous & super interesting! Meeting James in person will be something I’ll never forget, I was even gifted a signed copy of his upcoming new novel SHERLOCK SOCIETY!
TEEN VOGUE
"Of course I believe it's important for readers to learn about the perspectives and lives of people different from themselves, but even more crucial for kids to be able to see themselves in the stories they read. Taking that away from us is like saying that we don’t matter." Click the link or photo & read more! https://www.teenvogue.com/story/banned-books-week-2023-banned-books-change-lives
Thank youFOR YOUR SUPPORT!
I'm Honored to be Featured in Common Lit!
It's such a privilege to have my literacy journey featured on
COMMON LIT! I often read COMMON LIT in my 4th, 5th & 6th grade English & Language Arts classes, so this honor is really special to me! Thank you so much author Rebecca F. Barone for interviewing me & writing such a thoughtful article. If I can inspire even one child to pick up a story after learning about my journey, I know I'm making a difference. Books change lives! https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/e-train-talks-literacy-advocate
I Was Highlighted on ABC13 News
This is incredible! I just found out my literacy work was highlighted on ABC13 NEWS, when Journalist
Justin Burger interviewed LET’S CHOOSE LOVE about the amazing grants they are awarding change makers across the U.S.! Tap the "Find out more" button to watch!
LET'S CHOOSE LOVE BLOG POST
Sacramento Kings Youth Entrepreneur Night
I am thrilled to be featured on the Let's Choose Love's website blog. Thank you for all your support and for sharing my story with the world. I'm so grateful you choose to award my nonprofit with a 2024 grant. Tap the FIND OUT MORE button to read more about my partnership with Let's Choose !
Sacramento Kings Youth Entrepreneur Night
Sacramento Kings Youth Entrepreneur Night
A dream come true!
I was invited to participate in the Sacramento Kings Community Youth Entrepreneur Night, where I shared my nonprofit's mission with the KINGS FANS and connected with hundreds of people! I gave books to kids and spoke about the magic of stories with so many amazing kids! A night I'll never forget! Thanks so much to the Sacramento Kings and the entire Kings organization! #lightthebeam
I MET LIBRARIAN HERO MYCHAL THREETS!
What a spectacular day! I had the honor & privilege of meeting & interviewing the amazing library advocate & kindness champion
Librarian MYCHAL THREETS! Mychal is absolutely extraordinary & I’m so grateful he’s here sharing book joy! Our talk is one of my all time favorites! Watch our talk here: https://youtu.be/l85HOAL5KL4?si=2Vedd2AV1IVnZ4WW
THANK YOU LEVINE QUERIDO!
Levine querido Publishing gifted 500 copies of author Donna Barba Higuera's sweet novel LUPE WONG WON’T DANCE, a humorous, yet meaningful middle-grade read, sure to brighten up kids’ days! Donna Barb Higuera the winner of the 2022 Newbery Medal for The Last Cuentista, published by Levine Querido. I can't wait to share Donna's book with kids!
THANK YOU LEVINE QUERIDO!
Truly the gift of a lifetime, but not for just for me, for children in need of middle-grade books! 500 Hundred of copies of
Donna Barba Higuera's amazing novel LUPE WONG WON’T DANCE, a humorous, yet meaningful read that's sure to bring a smile to the readers face! All books were donated by the incredible
Levine Querido
publishers! These stories are going EVERYWHERE, from Title One schools, to unhoused kids, to
Shriners Children's Hospital, to libraries, to more!
Levine Querido,
thank you so much for helping spread book joy!
E TRAIN TALKS IS NOW A CHARITABLE NONPROFIT!
On National Book Lovers Day 2023 I received word that E Train Talks was approved as a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit! Now I can do even more to promote literacy & share books with kids in need! My mission is to educate and promote early literacy and inspire kids to read! I’m so excited for all the amazing opportunities being a nonprofit brings! I can’t wait to change the world, one read at a time! Literacy For All & Justice For All!
ONLINE/TECHNOLOGY SAFETY INITIATVE
Internet safety touches on many important issues! From cyber security to cyber bullying to identity theft and more, staying safe online and on our phones is critical! To date, I've blocked over 750 inappropriate accounts on my social media platforms! To help spread the word about online safety, I’m visiting middle-school classrooms & sharing author Jessica Speer's fun, relatable, and relevant book, THE PHONE BOOK: STAY SAFE, BE SMART, AND MAKE THE WORLD BETTER WITH THE POWERFUL DEVICE IN YOUR HAND! Take a listen to the author Jessica Speer as you share her thoughts on my project.
ONLINE/TECHNOLOGY SAFETY BOOKS!
My Tech/Online Safety program is being made possible with the help of the generous grant I was awarded by LET’S CHOOSE LOVE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to bringing more love into the world! A big thank you shoutout to Familius publishers for providing me amazing book discount on author Jessica Speer's THE PHONE BOOK so I can share it with as many kids as possible, as I advocate for digital safety in elementary schools. I’m so grateful!
PARTNERING WITH BESS THE BOOK BUS TO SPREAD BOOK JOY
PARTNERING WITH BESS THE BOOK BUS TO SPREAD BOOK JOY
I am excited to be partnering with the amazing Bess The Book Bus to help spread book joy! Through generous donations, Bess The Book Bus will be supplying high quality books for me to share with local kids & schools who need them most. I'm honored & grateful to share my reading advocacy journey with such an extraordinary literacy organization. I'll be sharing books on Giving Tuesday, National Read Across America Day and Children's Book Week.
I WAS INTERVIEWES FOR THE LEADERS WHO CARE SERIES BY MARK SADOVNICK
I was honored to be interviewed by
Mark Sadovnick, a Managing Partner of the 5th Element Group, for his "Leaders Who Care®" video series. In this interview, Mark talks to me about our mutual love for the Beatles music, the importance of kindness, and how my literacy story began! Click and watch our talk!
Hey Look Ma! I Made it! I Was Interviewed by Good Day Sacramento's Julissa Ortiz!
I'm was so excited to be interviewed by Good Day Sacramento's very own, Julissa Ortiz on 8/1/22! This interview lead to my very own Good Day Sacramento monthly book review segment! Watch me talk about my book journey in this video and find my book review segment videos on the Good Day Sacramento page of my website!
I WAS FEATURED ON "THE BOOK OF LIFE" PODCAST
It was such an honor to be featured on THE BOOK OF LIFE podcast! Sharing my story on a Jewish themed literacy show is so special to me. Host Heidi Rabinowitz askes meaningful and thought provoking questions and creates a fun and heartfelt conversation. Click the photo or link to Listen: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2023/09/e-train-talks.html
Heidi Rabinowitz is a Judaica librarian at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, FL
I WAS A GUEST ON THE "EXPERIENCE THE BUZZ PODCAST!"
It was as so fun being interviewed by Steve Bussard on "Experience The Buzz Podcast! "We talked all things books, hobbies, sports, and more! Thanks Steve! Watch our talk!
WATCH ME ON AUTHOR FAN FACE-OFF with Author Amy Sarig King!
I had the BEST time competing against the
amazing author, K.S. King on "Author Fan Face-off" on King's incredibly important novel, ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES! Watch and see who wins, and more importantly, read ATTACK OF THE BLCK RECTANGLES!
THE CURIOUS LEAGUE OF DETECTIVES AND THIEVES Book Trailer
So Excited and honored to be included in the book trailer of the THE CURIOUS LEAGUE OF DETECTIVES AND THIEVES! I'm the "guest voice" of the Main Character "John Boarhog!" Enjoy!
Author Stuart Gibbs and I Shared book joy at a Dyer-Kelly Elementary School!
This was such a fantastic literacy event & I'm so grateful it's featured by the San Juan Unified School District! With the help of Teen Author Boot Camp and the wonderful NYT Best selling author, Jennifer Nielsen, Author Stuart Gibbs & I were able to share a morning discussing the magic of stories with an entire elementary school ! An EPIC day that will stay with me forever!
Help End Book Deserts and Give All Kids Access to Quality Books!
E train Talks advocates for children in low-income communities & Title One Schools, who lack access to quality, diverse & inclusive books. When you give to my nonprofit you give books to kids who need them most! 100% of all donations go to supporting early literacy! E Train Talks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 93-3020520
I was interviewed by the wonderful author Melissa Roske for the Mixed-Up Files MG Blog
Sharing the story of my literacy journey & my upcoming Bar Mitzvah with the "Mixed-Up Files" was such an honor!
Author Melissa Roske
asked excellent questions and I’m so grateful to be included on the Mix-Up Files blog! Check the interview out and see if you can spot your favorite middle grade author in the process! Click the photo o
Sharing the story of my literacy journey & my upcoming Bar Mitzvah with the "Mixed-Up Files" was such an honor!
Author Melissa Roske
asked excellent questions and I’m so grateful to be included on the Mix-Up Files blog! Check the interview out and see if you can spot your favorite middle grade author in the process! Click the photo or link to read the interview.
https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/interview-with-tween-podcaster-and-literacy-advocate-e-train/
The "Mixed up files" are a Middle-Grade team of Authors, writers, and readers of middle-grade books, and their goal is to celebrate and generate enthusiasm about books for 8-12 year olds.
The Week Junior
I'm thrilled to be featured in the July 22, 2022 issue of "The Week Junior!"
Keep following my reading journey!
Giving Tuesday Spark Leader
I'm honored to be a #GivingTuesdaySpark Leader. Giving Tuesday Spark is a global generosity movement Led a crew of young do-gooders, aged 6-21 #GivingTuesdaySpark is all about encouraging young people to take action around the causes they care about most on GivingTuesday. I'm proud to be part of the Giving Tuesday Community! To find ou
I'm honored to be a #GivingTuesdaySpark Leader. Giving Tuesday Spark is a global generosity movement Led a crew of young do-gooders, aged 6-21 #GivingTuesdaySpark is all about encouraging young people to take action around the causes they care about most on GivingTuesday. I'm proud to be part of the Giving Tuesday Community! To find out about my 2022 kindness initiative you can click on the photo or go to my #GivingTuesdaySpark page on my website. I hope you'll help me spark some kindness in the world this November 29th 2022
WRITERS' RUMPUS INTERVIEW
It was an honor to be interviewed by Hilary Margitich, children's writer, blogger, and member of the Writers’ Rumpus. During my interview Hilary asked me about my book journey, podcast & dreams for the future! You can read the full interview here: https://writersrumpus.com/2022/11/11/interview-with-book-reviewer-and-podcaster-e-train/
An interview with my local school district!
It was an honor to be interviewed by my school district in the school library (my favorite place)! It was a dream come true to share my book journey, “E train Talks” podcast & my #bookdrive with my school and community!
Here's the write up:
"When picturing a literacy advocate, many individuals do not often imagine a child. However, San
It was an honor to be interviewed by my school district in the school library (my favorite place)! It was a dream come true to share my book journey, “E train Talks” podcast & my #bookdrive with my school and community!
Here's the write up:
"When picturing a literacy advocate, many individuals do not often imagine a child. However, San Juan Unified is home to an up-and-coming middle school literacy advocate who has been featured on Good Day Sacramento and has a growing social media following.
E Train, as he is most commonly known as, took advantage of the extra time during the pandemic to read. He joined virtual book clubs, which led to his first recorded book review, which was then shared by the author on Instagram.
That experience led E Train to begin his own YouTube channel to review books, and now he is hoping to motivate children across the world to read through his podcast on Spotify, as well as his reviews on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.
"If you’re bored and looking for a way to spend two hours of your time laughing or tearing up and feeling all the feels, read a book. Also, who knows, if you keep on reading, maybe you can do something like I’m doing," said E Train.
As part of his mission to motivate readers, E Train has routinely donated books to San Juan Unified schools and is currently working with an author for a book drop at another district school.
"I can’t share too much because it’s kind of in the works," said E Train. "I might have a pretty big author coming. My goal is not just to inspire people to read, like I said, but also give people the opportunity to read."
The district will continue to follow E Train’s work and share his efforts to promote literacy within our schools." You can read the original write-up here: https://churchill.sanjuan.edu/news/news-detail/~board/district-news/post/middle-school-literacy-advocate-hopes-to-inspire-fellow-students-to-read
BookFlap Mini Masterclass: A Back-To-School special with yours truly, E Train!
This was so fun! In this video I interview myself and share my Journey with the Canadian writing community on BookFlap. I invite you to watch my Mini Masterclass on inspiring kids to read. I had so much fun making this video! BookFlap taps into the wisdom of writers, illustrators, publishers, editors, readers, and educators, by offer
This was so fun! In this video I interview myself and share my Journey with the Canadian writing community on BookFlap. I invite you to watch my Mini Masterclass on inspiring kids to read. I had so much fun making this video! BookFlap taps into the wisdom of writers, illustrators, publishers, editors, readers, and educators, by offering interviews, mini master classes, art demonstrations, podcasts, articles, and much more! Click the photo or watch my video here: https://youtu.be/g3_dVOco4Tw?si=E6wMC_Y23Vu6Oamy
Sammie Smiles Interviews Me!
It was great fun being interviewed on Sammie Smiles Podcast! Sammie is a 13 year old on a mission to spread kindness and smiles. She's also the creator of the wonderful Sammie's Buddy Bench Project. Sammie has been a guest on my podcast as well. Check out our fun chat! Click the link or the photo to begin smiling!
My Interview With Reluctant Reader Books
It was great fun being interviewed by the Reluctant Readers books. Reluctant Reader Books produce and promote books that appeal to children who – for whatever reason – don’t enjoy reading. I was asked so many great questions! Click on the photo or link and read the interview! https://mgbookvillage.org/2022/08/10/interview-with-e-train/
MG Book Village Interview
MG Book Village Interview
I was happy to have the chance to be interviewed by Kathie MacIsaac, of MG (Middle Grade) Book Village about my reading journey! Click on the photo or link and read our interview! https://mgbookvillage.org/2022/08/10/interview-with-e-train/
book reveiws and interviews!
Thank you FOR YOUR SUPPPORT!
