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Booksellers Win Scholarships to Children's Institute 2026
February 11, 2026

The American Booksellers Association is eager to announce the 33 winners of scholarships to Children's Institute 2026 (Ci2026) in Schaumburg, IL.

The awards cover the registration fee, hotel stay, and up to $600 in travel expenses.

Individual Ci2026 scholarship recipients are not matched with individual sponsors; instead, a portion of total fees raised by Ci2026 sponsorships are dedicated to funding as many bookseller scholarships for as many new and different stores as possible.

On Behalf of ABA from the Scholarship application process

  • Charles Baty, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ
  • Ashli Byfield, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY
  • Sarah Cottrell, Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville, KY
  • Wendy Fitzgerald, Kids Ink Children's Bookstore, Indianapolis, IN
  • Maren Grant, Storyhouse Bookpub, Des Moines, IA
  • Bonnie Ingersoll, Spoke + Word Books, Milwaukie, OR
  • Cathy Klein, Books a Go Go, Ravenna, OH
  • Michael Leali, Mrs. Dalloway's Literary & Garden Arts, Berkeley, CA
  • Chrissy Magaw, Bodacious Bookstore & Cafe, Pensacola, FL
  • Quinn Maker, Lake Erie Book Company, Geneva, OH
  • Jennifer Medeiros, Through the Fold, San Diego, CA
  • VaLinda Miller, Turning Page Bookshop, Goose Creek, SC
  • Laura Miller, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
  • Zsamé Morgan, Babycake's Book Stack, St. Paul, MN
  • Koki Mulugeta, High Five Books, Florence, MA
  • Christine Patrick, Winchester Book Gallery, Winchester, VA
  • Alyssa Raymond, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA
  • Heidi Romer, H.O.L.A. Books, Dania Beach, FL
  • Hannah Smith, The Doylestown Bookshop, Doylestown, PA
  • Bo Burgoz, Wild Rumpus, Minneapolis, MN
  • Petra Guenthner Johnson, Chapter2Books, Hudson, WI
  • Mona Macias, Katy Budget Books, Katy, TX
  • Shelley Thompson, The Purple Couch Bookshop, North Andover, MA
  • Shiara Coleman, Timbre Books, Ventura, CA
  • Grace Henriquez, Wild Sisters Book Company, Sacramento, CA
  • Brenda Cheslock, This Could Be My Last Bookstore, Hartly, DE
  • Chawa Magaña, Palabras Bilingual Bookstore, Phoenix, AZ
  • Jacob Reyna, Papercuts Bookshop, Boston, MA
  • Tauri Odumosu, Alice, Ever After Books, Buffalo, NY

On Behalf of BINC

  • Olga Sofia Lijó Seráns, Hearthside Books & Toys, Juneau, AK
  • Meghan Russo, Read Early and Daily, Arlington, VA
  • Sabrina Caldwell, The Book Haus, New Braunfels, TX

On Behalf of Harper Kids

  • Garret Marcy, Flirting with Fiction, Vancouver, WA