Ainara Alleyne is a 13-year-old host, co-creator, co-writer, and executive producer of the new Turtlebox Productions series Ainara's Bookshelf (10 x 11 min). The series, which brings a world of diverse books to tween audiences, is inspired by Ainara's Instagram page @ainarasbookshelf. Ainara's mission is to highlight books for young people whose authors and main characters are Black, Indigenous, people of color, differently abled and other underrepresented minorities. Ainara shares reviews, recommendations, and author interviews to bring diverse stories with a broader audience. She believes that by experiencing other cultures and perspectives through books, we can not only acknowledge our differences but be able to understand and embrace them. Since launching her Instagram feed, Ainara has reviewed books for the New York Times, acted as a reporter for CBC Kids News, is Hamilton Public Library’s First Junior Librarian in Residence, has spoken to schools and at educator symposiums, and is the Ms Read-a-Thon Junior Ambassador for 2022 and 2023. She also has several acting credits to her name including Odd Squad Mobile Unit (Netflix), Six Degrees of Santa (Lifetime), Nine Films About Technology (Disney+), and several theater credits.

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