Rylie Yount
Biology teacher Dr. Georgia Taylor looks over a display of custom erasers along with sophomores Brylie Creel and Lyla Sapp at the Scholastic Book Fair.
On March 31, Davie’s Learning Commons saw something it had never seen before: a book fair. From March 31 to April 4, Scholastic’s book fair displays stood in the Learning Commons for students to browse and purchase books, posters, and stationery supplies. Many teachers brought their classes to peruse the selections, and students had the opportunity to purchase items throughout the day. The books on display ranged from various picture book titles to popular series like “Dog Man” and “Harry Potter.” Though a book fair is an unusual sight in a high school library, Davie’s fair proved to be a success this year.
Those who had the chance to browse the book fair likely noticed that the displays looked familiar; this is because Scholastic doesn’t offer a high school book fair, so the displays were from the middle school catalogue. Robyn Koontz, the librarian who helped the book fair come to life at Davie, confirmed that these were the same middle school titles.
“Most book fair companies do not have a high school book fair,” Koontz said. “When I called Scholastic, they were willing to send us a book fair that had a mixture of all the books they offer. We had everything from toddler books to young adult… They sent us a mixture of all levels. Since our school is so big and we have so many staff members, we thought it would be fun to have books for all ages.”
The books for all ages and the invisible ink pens that the fair offered seemed to be hits. Students were able to pick up titles they hadn’t seen recently yet reminded them of middle school memories. Most high schoolers haven’t read “Harry Potter” or looked through the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” in years, but this year’s book fair gave them the chance to do just that. Koontz said that her favorite part of the book fair was the nostalgia the displays brought both her and the students.
“Honestly, I think some of the children’s books were my favorite,” Koontz said. “Everyone was so nostalgic when they looked through that table. I heard so many students exclaim, “I LOVED THIS BOOK WHEN I WAS LITTLE!”
For sophomore Leah Gibson, the book fair also brought up fond memories and gave her a chance to be excited about reading.
“My favorite part of the book fair was how the display made me just want to pick everything up,” Gibson said. “Something would catch my eye, and I would immediately go over, just for something else to draw my attention, like a kid in a candy store.”
This year’s book fair might have been Davie’s first, but hopefully, it won’t be its last. Koontz said that the book fair might visit Davie again in the future, but next time, she’ll be sure to buy plenty more invisible ink pens. Gibson also wishes for the book fair to return.
“I would love for the book fair to return at some point in the future,” Gibson said. “It’s such a fond memory of our childhood and encourages people to read. It also exposes us to books that we might find incredibly interesting but wouldn’t have found otherwise.”
Overall, Davie’s book fair was a unique experience and a wonderful chance to revisit favorite books from earlier years. If you missed the book fair, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on reading. Davie’s library boasts many of the same titles available for purchase at the book fair (among hundreds of others) and is always welcoming of students looking to read something new.