The Star – 12 Dec 2024

In San Francisco, a unique library has recently opened its doors. Here, there are no classics or bestsellers by established writers, but stories written by children from all over the world. This unique space showcases young authors' unbridled creative efforts, offering them a privileged place on the shelves.

For years, American author Dave Eggers, best known for his novel A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius, had written works piling up in his garage and no idea what to do with them. These were not copies of his own novels and essays, but rather works written by young people aged 6 to 18, coming from San Francisco and beyond. Convinced of these works' value, he decided to give them a proper home.

And thus, on Dec 4, he inaugurated the International Library of Youth Writing, a library set up at the headquarters of his publishing house McSweeney's, on Valencia Street in San Francisco.

"It's, as far as we know, the only one of its kind: a library that consists only of books written by young people,” Eggers told the San Francisco Standard.