Local student opens 'Little Free Library' on Swamp Rabbit Trail

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. — Part of a group of more than 50,000 small book exchanges located in 70+ countries, a "Little Free Library" has been opened on the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail behind the Cafe at Williams Hardware on Main Street in Travelers Rest.

Open to the public under a "take a book, leave a book" philosophy, Max's Free Library was started by local student Max Cook, who recently finished fourth grade.

Inspired by the belief that “everyone should be able to share their books with each other” and with the help of his mom, Max met with the McCarrell sisters to request permission to place the library behind their cafe. After getting approval, he built the structure with his grandpa, installing it and stocking it with books this past weekend.

“It’s a good community spot that you can walk or bike or drive to,” said Cook, adding that he thought it was the perfect area for area residents and visitors to easily reach.

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The Little Free Library nonprofit organization has been honored by the Library of Congress, the National Book Foundation, and the American Library Association, and Reader’s Digest named them one of the “50 Surprising Things We Love about America.” Each year, nearly 10 million books are shared in Little Free Libraries. To learn more, visit littlefreelibrary.org.

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