Meet our November Page Turner of the Month!

EACH MONTH WORDS ALIVE RECOGNIZES PARTICIPANTS IN OUR PAGE TURNERS PROGRAM IN APPRECIATION FOR THE THOUGHTFUL FEEDBACK THEY SHARE WHEN REVIEWING TITLES WE ARE CONSIDERING FOR OUR CLASSROOM PROGRAMMING.

This month, we are proud to celebrate Nanna Steffensen for her contributions to the Page Turners. Since joining the Page Turners in 2022, Nanna has reviewed 12 titles, totaling 48 hours spent volunteering for this program. Thank you for your insightful feedback and endless passion for connecting children, teens, and families to the power of reading!

Now, let’s learn more about Nanna.

Q: LET’S START WITH A BRIEF INTRODUCTION—TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU CAME ACROSS WORDS ALIVE AND THE PAGE TURNERS PROGRAM!

I am a 32-year-old woman living in San Diego with my husband and my daughter Lily, who is close to 2 years old. I stay at home with her until she is old enough to attend a preschool starting next year.  

Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH THE PAGE TURNERS PROGRAM?

I am from Denmark originally, I moved here with my husband at the beginning of 2019 because he was being relocated. I had never been outside Europe before, so it was a huge and scary step. But I started using the app Meetup to meet new people, and volunteering was also my way of getting out. So when the pandemic hit, and I got pregnant, I needed to find something to do from home, and that’s where I found the Page Turner program online. It sounded like the perfect match for me, reading books for a good purpose. I was hooked, and I still am.  

I love reading, as you can possibly imagine. I think books are the most rewarding thing that you do for yourself because it opens our minds and gives us a chance to reflect, learn, laugh, and maybe even cry at times. You can visit every place in the world, and even visit new worlds and places. You only need your imagination.  

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES OUTSIDE OF VOLUNTEERING?

I also enjoy watching a good series or a movies just as much. To be active, I enjoy walking around (I do not drive, so walking has always been my thing), and hiking on weekend (the nature here is Southern California is stunning), and I do Pilates a couple of times a week.  

Q: HAS READING WITH PAGE TURNERS IMPACTED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIETY OR YOUR COMMUNITY?  

I love books that open my eyes, so to speak, so I would say that my favorite titles so far must be “All Boys Aren’t Blue”, and “Being Heumann.” Both titles are being told by people who have lived very different lives from my own, and admire them both for their bravery, honesty, and strong wills. They have been fighting for themselves, others and for the future. They are still going strong, even though life has not always been easy on them. This is admirable in my opinion. I think books like this are very important especially for our young readers, since there are not tons of literature like this, and they are needed.