The Richmonder 25: Sarah Matalavage drives to improve literary access in the Enchanting Bookmobile
On the last Wednesday of every month, Sarah Matalavage drives her multicolored minibus to Hillside Court. Her passengers aren’t people, though; they’re free books.
Matalavage is a full-time therapist, but in her spare time – of which she has little, as a mother of a 2-year-old and 5-month-old – she takes the Enchanting Bookmobile to underserved communities and various literacy events.
Her primary motivation for the project was to improve access to literature, especially for those who face barriers in getting to libraries and purchasing books. She recalled seeing and speaking with families who would get library fines for overdue books, but had difficulty getting to those libraries due to hour-long commutes by public transportation, or difficulty finding the time between other obligations.
Service runs in her family. Her father was a police officer, and her grandmother helped establish the Essex County Public Library, so the Ashland native feels she has followed in her footsteps.
“If you have a little bit, you have to leave the door open for others to follow,” she said. “If you have, you give.”
That’s exactly the mindset she brings to her work with the Enchanting Bookmobile.
Matalavage purchased the minibus in August 2022, and with the help of her husband and artist Pamela Bailey, the bus was renovated with shelves and has four different exterior panels of artwork. In 2025, she raised money to install a small slide in the back of the bus for kids to play on at events.
The bus can hold a total of 1,500 books, and she aims to have it as stocked as possible at all times. In 2025, she distributed 2,450 free books, ranging from board books to chapter books.
Matalavage recalled several instances where older children have taken board books and easy reader books ostensibly for younger siblings or cousins, then came back the following week and confided that they enjoyed the books.
Funding
Matalavage said the bus’s annual operating costs are $6,000, including books, auto maintenance, and snacks for the kids. At the moment, she noted that the paint needs to be touched up, which will cost between $1,500 and $2,000.
While people have reached out about helping out as a volunteer and donated “gently used kids’ books,” the majority of the expenses come out of her pocket with no financial return on investment.
“I don’t make money,” she said. “In fact, I bleed money.”
She said there have been weeks when she didn’t have $200 for snacks and drinks to bring to the kids, and she’s had to reach out to the community for donations, which they readily gave.
She said that she struggles with asking for help, adding that it's something she’s working on.
Creating community
Matalavage emphasized how much the Enchanting Bookmobile has allowed her to connect with the community, especially those neighborhoods she visits regularly, like Hillside and Gilpin Court. She also does pop-up events and school visits.
In addition to her 9-to-5 job, she estimates she spends roughly 10 hours a week on bookmobile-related work, and two to four hours driving around and attending events.
Matalavage sometimes wonders “what kind of journey” the books – all of which have an Enchanting Bookmobile circle on them – go on.
“You know, what if I’m in a thrift store one day and see a Bookmobile book?” she said. “What story can these books tell?”
Contact Intern Haidyn Brockelman at hbrockelman@richmonder.org.
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