About Gemma Open Door
The Gemma Open Door Series provides fresh stories, new ideas, and essential reading resources for adults and young people as they embrace the power of the written word. This innovative program of original works by some of our most beloved modern writers was first designed with new readers in mind.
In its rapidly expanding series, Gemma Open Door offers original stories by best-selling authors like Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornby and Maeve Binchy alongside important new and emerging voices. For the first time some of our finest writers are engaging an audience of new readers with short, sharp, edgy books and e-books on a wide range of grown-up subjects including aging, family, romance, sports, spirituality and more. More than improving skills, readers can expand their world view, comparing their own experiences to situations profiled in colorful, grown-up stories. Finally, new readers can experience the joy of a really good read while developing their proficiency with language and literature.
Gemma Open door is expanding, adding new titles a Young Adult series written by and for young people, providing audio versions to complement print and digital editions, and offering free Reader’s Guides to open up the books to discussion, plus phone apps and new technologies to keep story-telling alive and well in the digital age. To find out more or order books, visit the Gemma Open Door website. Read more about the series in this interview with editor Brian Bouldrey.
To help teachers and adult learners use Open Door books to develop reading skills and the joy that comes with books, Gemma is developing teaching guides and literacy resources for educators and learners alike. Gemma Media’s Teaching Guides for The Open Door Series are free, downloadable Adobe™PDFs, available to teachers for class use. They may not be resold under any circumstance. For a full list of books with reading and teaching guides see the Gemma Media website. Download the free reading and teaching guide for The Possibility of Lions.
If you would like to tell GemmaMedia your experience using the guides, or if you have ideas about further teaching guides, please contact literacy@gemmamedia.com.
Teachers: If you would like to purchase multiple copies of books in The Open Door Series, please contact literacy@gemmamedia.com for special educational discounts.
Links to more literacy resources
Gemma has assembled a list of sites for educators and adult learners alike to find programs, research and support in their efforts. Please note that linked sites will open in a separate, popup window.
ProLiteracy the world’s largest organization of adult literacy and basic education programs.
National Literacy Trust The UK’s leading literacy charity.
PBS Literacy Link Helps adults build basic skills for lifelong learning.
National Center for Family Literacy Helping parents and children form a learning partnership that ends the cycle of poverty.