Book Drive

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Book Drive ✩

Let's get 250 books to the #OkiTeenReaders

Update: We reached our goal of 200 today during a TikTok live! With two more weeks to go, let's see how many book was can get to these teens!

Operation #OkiTeenReaders

Welcome to Operation #OkiTeenReaders!

I’m Libby, an indie author, military spouse, and substitute teacher living in Okinawa. The high school I am working at serves the military teens stationed here with their families, and they are some bright, amazing kids.

This year, the school library is organizing a book swap in the third week of December. The kids can bring in their old books and trade them out for new reads. You see, one of the biggest obstacles here for the teen readers is they can’t just walk into a bookstore, pick up a book and fall in love with it, then bring it home. Yes, there are libraries, but these kids want to own their books, annotate them, build their collections, and share them with friends. They want to have the newest releases. But to do that they have to order online and wait weeks or even months for the books to arrive.

That’s where we all come in. Operation #OkiTeenReaders is a book drive to get as many books as possible to bring to the book swap in December. I want these kids to feel like the book fairies have visited and be able to leave with armfuls of books to dive into. Want to join in? Of course, you do!

What we need from you, generous souls:

  1. Books (duh!). But they must be YA-appropriate. This is a high school setting, and we need to be respectful of the rules and keep the content appropriate. Adult books are welcome as long as the content is not explicit. We are especially looking for diverse representation and LGBTQIA+.

  2. New or used or signed! Clearing out the bookshelves and have some YA books? Send them. Want to support but hate going to the Post Office? We have an Amazon wish list here: #OkiTeenReaders Wish List. Are you an Author and want to do something extra special for these kids, or do you have some slightly damaged books that can use a loving home? Send them!

  3. Books must be mailed no later than November 7th. Because we are a military base, the mail can take a while to get here. It can sometimes take 2-3 weeks to arrive with holidays and accounting for weather (we’re in typhoon season here). If you are sending a box, Message: DeadOrAlivePress@gmail.com with the subject: OKITEENREADERS to receive the address to send it.

  4. But… No Media Mail. This is the caveat here. Media mail, although the cheapest for sending books, takes 2-3 MONTHS to arrive on island. This classification of mail goes by ship and we will not see it probably until next year.

  5. Can’t donate? Share! Want to support this amazing cause, but aren’t able to send anything? That’s okay! Like and Share the posts and spread the word! The more people we reach, the better chances to fill boxes of books for these teens.

  6. BONUS: Once you’ve sent a book for Operation #OkiTeenReaders, send an email to DeadOrAlivePress@gmail.com so we can be on the lookout, AND you will be entered into a giveaway to win a signed book set of the first three books in The Assassin’s Legacy Series.

    Have questions? Send us an email to DeadOrAlivePress@gmail.com or shoot a message to Libby Webber on TikTok! Thank you for your support of Operation #OkiTeenReaders.

Why give?

Military teens face a unique set of challenges, often relocating three times more than their peers. These moves don’t just happen across towns or states but across oceans, to places like Okinawa, Japan. For these kids, packing up their lives means leaving friends, schools, and often personal belongings behind. In fact, 9% of military families live outside the U.S., far from familiar faces and comforts.

On top of this, many military teens endure long parental deployments, stepping up at home while their parent is serving abroad. This resilience often goes unnoticed, despite the immense weight they carry.

That’s where Operation #OkiTeenReaders comes in. By donating books, you’re not just giving them something to read—you’re offering a sense of stability, a way to escape, and a chance to build something of their own. Each book you send helps make the December book swap a magical event, reminding these teens that they are seen and supported.

Let’s bring the magic of books to Okinawa and show these kids that, even in a life of constant change, they can still have a story to hold onto.