Lauren Sánchez Bezos on Tuesday visited Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School in New London, Connecticut, to begin her role as a Literacy Champion for Scholastic’s United States of Readers program, the global children’s publishing and education company announced Wednesday.

During the author visit on Sept. 9, 2025, Sánchez Bezos read from her New York Times bestselling picture book The Fly Who Flew to Space, answered students’ questions about writing and inspiration, and met with teachers and administrators to discuss literacy goals and book access for students. Scholastic said her book, along with its Spanish edition La Mosca Que Voló al Espacio, will be made available to students through the program beginning this fall.

Sánchez Bezos, who has written for young readers and is married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, said partnering with the program was “truly an honor.” On Instagram she wrote that the collaboration aims to “get books into kids’ hands so their imaginations can take off” and described books as “confidence, creativity…a launchpad.”

Judy Newman, Scholastic’s chief impact officer, said in a statement that Sánchez Bezos ‘‘understands that all kids need both excellent academic reading instruction and the opportunity to choose and own the books that will motivate them to read.’’ Newman noted the author’s focus on children attending under-resourced schools.

United States of Readers, founded by Scholastic and delivered in collaboration with the nonprofit Impact Reading, is designed to expand book choice and home libraries for PreK-8 students in Title I and rural schools where opportunities to select books are limited. The program, piloted for two years with about 48,000 students in every state, allows participating students to choose two grade-level books five times a year—10 books in total—at no cost to families. Participating teachers also receive 25 books to build classroom libraries.

As part of Sánchez Bezos’s involvement, the program will introduce a year-long classroom project called "Dear Flynn," inviting students to write to the story’s protagonist about their hopes and dreams. Scholastic said the character Flynn will serve as a promotional figure, described in materials as a ‘‘spokesfly/portavoz’’ for the campaign.

The Fly Who Flew to Space, published by independent The Collective Book Studio, follows a small fly named Flynn who aspires to be an astronaut and is intended to encourage curiosity and ambition among young readers. Scholastic emphasized that the United States of Readers curates high-quality, grade-appropriate selections from multiple publishers and relies on state and local funding as well as private philanthropy to support distribution.

Sánchez Bezos is scheduled to continue visiting schools through the academic year to promote reading and literacy access. Observers noted the author arrived at the Winthrop STEM visit in casual attire — a white shirt and faded skinny jeans — and later attended other public events, underscoring the mix of author outreach and public engagement that will mark her role.

Scholastic said families of participating students will receive materials during the school year to help support children’s literacy at home and to strengthen the connection between classroom reading and family engagement. The company described the initiative as a strategy to motivate more students to become lifelong readers by combining quality instruction with expanded opportunities to choose and own books.

The announcement and school visit follow the pilot phase intended to test the program’s impact and logistics. Scholastic and Impact Reading said they will continue to evaluate the program’s reach and outcomes as the United States of Readers expands access in more schools across the United States.