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Malden Reads picks The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind; students to showcase wind- and solar-powered projects at Feb. 10 kickoff
Summary
Malden Reads, coordinated by Urban Media Arts and the Malden Public Library, selected William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer’s The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind as the 2025 One City, One Book. Organizers announced a Feb. 10 kickoff at Bread of Life and showcased student projects inspired by the book.
Malden Reads announced The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer as its 2025 One City, One Book selection and scheduled a community kickoff on Monday, Feb. 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bread of Life facility.
The announcement was made during the Malden City Council meeting by Anne Derser Rose, associate director of Urban Media Arts and a Malden Reads co‑facilitator, who described the program as a citywide community reading effort run by volunteers with anchor partners the Malden Public Library and Urban Media Arts. Derser Rose said the steering committee recommended the Young Readers’ Edition as a version appropriate for broad community programming.
Organizers said the book’s themes — food insecurity, environmental change, innovation and resilience — will guide events this season. Karen Buck introduced a youth segment featuring students from Malden High School’s Engineering for the Future class and the Eco Club, who displayed small prototypes inspired by the book, including a battery-powered model windmill, a dynamo and a phone‑charging solar station assembled from maker‑space parts. Ashley Freeman, an MHS engineering teacher and Ward 1 resident, explained the dynamo’s role as a small generator and described plans to build a larger windmill for the Feb. 10 event.
Malden Reads said companion editions for younger readers will be available, and the city library will distribute copies of the Young Readers’ Edition at the meeting. Organizers also reminded residents that the title is available via the Libby app for download with a Malden library card.
The kickoff will feature community information tables, live music, food and poetry, and will be hosted in partnership with Bread of Life, which program materials described as having long experience addressing local food insecurity. Students and volunteers encouraged residents to read along, attend events and host related activities in their neighborhoods.
Speakers: Anne Derser Rose, Urban Media Arts (co‑facilitator, Malden Reads); Jody Zalk (co‑facilitator); Karen Buck (presenter); Ashley Freeman (MHS engineering teacher); student presenters Benson, Nora and Amber (Engineering for the Future / Eco Club).
Why this matters: Malden Reads is a long‑running civic program intended to foster citywide conversation and community activities around shared reading. The youth demonstrations tied the selection directly to local STEM and climate resilience education efforts.
