Palo Alto Teen Vies For International Peace Prize

PALO ALTO (KCBS) - An announcement was expected Monday about the coveted International Children's Peace Prize. The winner was to be revealed from The Hague, Netherlands, and it was a revelation that would be closely watched by a Gunn High School student who was among four finalists for the prize.

KCBS' Tim Ryan Reports:

Tatiana Grossman, 15, of Palo Alto, turned her passion for books into a global crusade.

"It's been my favorite thing for as long as I can remember," Grossman described her love of reading. "So when I heard that kids in Africa didn't have any books to read, I was stunned. And I could not imagine what life would be like without books."

"So I wanted to do something to help. And I ended up getting 3,500 books to start three libraries in Africa," she described her initial effort.

Ultimately, she rounded up 20,000 books for 18 libraries - and counting.

"Creating libraries made me open my eyes to the world around me. And I think before I had started the libraries, I wasn't really aware of the world around me."

"I went to Botswana to visit two of my libraries and the kids there were so happy to see me. They treated me like a rock star, movie star, celebrity. It felt really great and I felt that I actually made a difference in the world."

She next hoped to work on putting digital books in the hands of her African peers.

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