As an Orton-Gillingham tutor and former 5th-grade teacher, Abby Zwetchkenbaum Gibson, M.Ed. '11 spent years searching for the right books for her dyslexic students. The decodable texts available were often too simple, repetitive, and unengaging for older readers, while the books her students wanted to read were often linguistically out of reach.

So Abby decided to write the books she wished existed.

The result: “Friends and Foes,” a compelling high-low fiction series that addresses the real social challenges kids face while making engaging chapter books accessible for striving and reluctant readers.

As Abby shares, "This project is deeply personal and professionally meaningful to me. It grew directly out of my work with students, my love of writing, and my belief that emerging readers deserve rich, engaging stories without compromising instructional integrity."

Congratulations, Abby, on this exciting achievement, and thank you for creating stories that help more young readers discover the joy of reading.