I had an exciting opportunity in late 2020 to participate in a one-month book sprint project. The non-profit Room to Read supports literacy and girls’ education programs in multiple countries. All of its books are online and free to read. They put out a call for writers and illustrators to build its Peace & Equality collection.

I am the parent of a child with disabilities and I’d had an idea rattling around in my head about a boy struggling with whether to accept the invitation to the birthday party of a classmate. I felt honored to be selected for the project. Teamed with a talented illustrator, editor and art director, my one-line rough idea evolved into a beautiful story about an important subject.

Room to Read has printed copies of the Peace & Equality collection for free distribution to children in U.S. book deserts. And it plans to make the books available for on-demand purchase. But you have the gift of reading and sharing these stories online now, at no cost to you.

I hope you will enjoy the story, and I’d love to hear from you. After you read The Invitation, please send me a note with your thoughts.