In celebration of Banned Books Week, Penguin Random House launched our third annual Banned Wagon Tour—an initiative dedicated to protecting the freedom to read and expanding access to books facing challenges and bans.
From October 5–11, the Banned Wagon traveled through Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia in partnership with EveryLibrary and First Book. Along the route, we visited libraries and bookstores, distributed free banned books, and engaged local communities in conversations about First Amendment rights and the importance of diverse storytelling.
The tour kicked off with our inaugural Save Our Stories Supper, bringing together authors and advocates to celebrate the enduring power of books.
Penguin Random House is honored to continue our long-standing partnership with the National Book Foundation’s Book Rich Environments (BRE) program, which we have supported since its launch in 2017.
In 2025 alone, BRE distributed more than 300,000 free books to children and families in public housing communities, expanding to new sites in Barnwell, South Carolina, and El Paso, Texas. Since its inception, the program has shared 2.6 million books nationwide, helping transform homes and community spaces into book-rich environments.
With more than 600,000 books donated by PRH to date, we are proud to be the program’s leading publishing partner. Together, we are working to ensure that children and families have consistent access to high-quality, diverse books.
During Banned Books Week, Penguin Random House hosted the Save Our Stories Supper at Washington, D.C.’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, convening authors, educators, librarians, and advocates in defense of the freedom to read.
The evening featured powerful remarks from authors including Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds, and Malinda Lo, underscoring the importance of protecting access to books and amplifying diverse voices. The event also marked the launch of our third annual Banned Wagon Tour and spotlighted Penguin Random House’s Save Our Stories initiative, which donates banned books to underserved communities nationwide.
Penguin Random House joined Hachette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks in sending a joint letter to Congress urging the restoration of funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
In advance of National Library Week, we reaffirmed our support for libraries as essential institutions that provide free access to information, promote literacy, and strengthen democratic participation. Alongside our fellow publishers and partners at the American Library Association, we continue to advocate for policies that protect and sustain these critical public resources.
The fifth annual edition of this six-month national reading challenge encouraged children and families to read 100 books between October 2025 and March 2026. Building on last year’s campaign, which engaged more than 600,000 children, the 2025–2026 program featured themed author read-alouds, classroom resources, and book giveaways designed to spark a lifelong love of reading.
With participation from Penguin Random House authors including Drew Daywalt, Jan Brett, and Joanna Ho, Rally to Read 100 connected young readers with stories that reflect a range of experiences and perspectives. Together with RIF, we are working to expand access to books and inspire joyful reading habits in communities across the country.
Penguin Random House is the exclusive publishing partner of Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Rally to Read 100 campaign.
Penguin Random House and Online Ceramics have joined forces to create Reading Is a Right, a limited-edition capsule collection celebrating free expression and the transformative power of books.
Featuring handcrafted designs across apparel and accessories, the collection combines Online Ceramics’ distinctive creative style with Penguin’s iconic imagery to inspire readers to stand up against censorship and explore banned books.
Penguin Random House will donate 100% of the collection’s net proceeds to the American Library Association to establish a new Literacy Bridge Fund supporting media literacy programs.
Through our Banned on the Run 5K fundraiser, Penguin Random House employees nationwide raised over $90,000 to support the Freedom to Read Foundation—nine times our original goal.
With 482 employees across 33 states participating and more than 2,000 donors contributing, this effort reflected our shared dedication to defending the First Amendment and opposing censorship. Together, we are demonstrating that protecting the freedom to read is not only an ideal central to our mission but also a commitment we support through collective action.
U.S. (2024)
In collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, Penguin Random House presented our Creative Writing Award winners with a week of professional development programming, offering practical knowledge and insight into the book world. Our six $10,000 scholarship recipients gained direct access to publishing professionals through a series of virtual events designed and hosted by the Penguin Random House Corporate Communications Team.
Since 1993, this program has awarded more than $2.9 million to public high school students for original poetry, memoir/personal essay, fiction/drama, and spoken word compositions. To learn more about the Creative Writing Awards, click here.
U.S. (2024)
Penguin Random House joined forces with Lambda Literary and the NYC Department of Education to facilitate the LGBTQ Writers in Schools program, an initiative bringing LGBTQ+ writers and their works to K-12 classrooms across New York City. The program primarily serves Title 1 schools, which support children from low-income backgrounds, making access to LGBTQ+ literature crucial for LGBTQ+ students and their allies.
In the U.S., we continued our partnership with The Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) to offer a rolling grant program recognizing rural, small, and tribal libraries that support underserved communities in the U.S. and U.S. territories. Many rural libraries were impacted by the pandemic, especially those in under-served communities. Libraries are lifelines in countless ways, from serving as trusted sources for reliable information and providing access to important services and resources, including internet hotspots for families without internet service. In 2023, the program recognized over 40 libraries across the U.S. that support underserved communities.
