Because older struggling readers deserve material they can read NOW that they actually want to read.

They deserve books that

• can be read with the skills they have
• build their confidence
• spark their intellect
• help move them up the ladder of reading
• have challenging, complex social justice themes 
• pull them into conversation 
• contain inspiring original artwork done by artists of color 
• are not embarrassing to be seen with
• can be taken home and drive intergenerational discussion

The same student who can look at a stock photo of a gas station scene and read "The man put gas in the tank," can look at an historic photograph of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike or the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests,  and read "A man can stand up to tanks."