Book Fairs

[Brenda Branson]

Our school always hosts two book fairs each year. The kids love it, teachers love it, parents love and I love it. At least, I love to see it arrive but by week's end, I'm ready to start packing. One of my biggest issues with "Book" Fairs is that of selling all the fun "junk." It is a big money maker but I prefer to see the children to spend their money on books, not pencils and pens and erasers, and all that other expensive, cheap stuff. Our parents go both ways on this issue, as well. There are some that are adament about their children buying only books! But, we do have some parents that love the fun stuff just as much as the kids do. I have to admit, I've had book fairs where I asked the company not to send anything but books. I've had book fairs where I kept the fun stuff in the back until family night. And, I've had book fairs where we just sold whatever!

I'm mulling over this because our book fair is arriving on Tuesday. This year our budget is as low as I've seen it in a while and I need to make $$$ on this fair. However, I'm feeling that passion about having a "book" fair!

[Kim Thevenote]

My fall fair is the first week in October. I too dread the "junk" that comes with it. Especially the $5 gel pens!! I don't even put those out anymore. You are right, book fairs are great money makers! I'm like a kid myself, where I spend so much time just looking at the books, trying to decide which ones to get for my library, and which ones to get for me! The semester I was taking YA Lit, I was like kid in a candy store, reading a different book each night!

[Brenda Branson]

As it turned out, Bedford Falls didn't send so much "junk" The literature selection is great! I have had to really talk up some of the books because our students just don't know some of the good titles - they are all buying the High School Musical and Hannah Montana. Well, at least it is books that they're buying. You're right - it's like Christmas all those great new books.

[Bob Hassett]

Just to offer a contrasting perspective: I love the junk. The kids love it. A lot of the teachers love it (we have one who shows up at every book fair and goes right to the bendy pens and scented erasers and shops like a connaisseur -- then spends $30 or $40 on it). And it sells.

I think also it allow some children who only have 50 cents or a dollar an opportunity to buy something. There are a lot of low-income kids who clearly want to buy something. And the books that are $1 or $2 may not be what they want. This can be especially true of LEP kids.

It helps to look at it as a fund-raiser, as well as a reading encouragement event. The profit on gel pens is the same as it is on books. And, in our case, that profit goes right back into buying more books, which are then checked out to those same students at no charge.

[Kathryn Rauchenstein]

One year I decided to take a stand against the "junk". I just didn't put it out. The results were dismal! We only sold about half of our usual volume. I guess we need to ask ourselves why we have book fairs. Is it to put literature in the hands of students or to raise money to buy books for the collection? I too, need to raise money because of budget cuts. So this year I'm putting out all of the "Junk". I learned my lesson the hard way.