Who’s The Fairest of Them All? The Book Fair

Do you remember going to the book fair when you were in elementary school? The smell of new books, the variety of titles to choose from, the library magically turned into a book store…oh the memories. As a child, it was one of my favorite school events every year. As an adult, I still feel them same way. In fact, for several years I co-chaired the Book Fair Committee with a good friend. It was tons of work, but so much fun.

Today, I was helping out a teacher friend at the school my kids attended and where I once was the “Book Fair Mom.” I still substitute occasionally, but today I was just there to help a friend get her classroom ready for Open House Night. Remember those? When all your hard work and fun projects were put on display and you’d bring your parents into the classroom to check it all out. Good times. The school has a book fair in conjunction with Open House. Smart move as all the kids want to drag their parents in to shop while on campus. On my way to the classroom today, I happened upon the book fair. My heart filled with joy and anticipation when I saw the sign. It was like being in fourth grade all over again.

 

What to Buy?

I spent a total of 3 hours on campus. I “wandered” through the book fair at least 5 times. Finally, the bell rang and the students went home to ask moms and dads for an advance on their allowances (“Mom, it’s the book fair!”). I said goodbye to my friend and hello to the tables of books I’d been ogling all afternoon. There was a cute book bag that read “I’d Rather Be Reading” and seemed to be calling my name. After all, when wouldn’t I rather be reading? There were all those adorable picture books with the clever stories and beautiful illustrations. They even sell posters of cute kittens and puppies, fancy sports cars, and sports teams. Just like the good old days. It’s good to see some things don’t change.

Well, not too much. Prices have definitely climbed. I ended up buying two books and saying “maybe next time” to the book bag. I mean, it’s not like I don’t own four or five (okay, eight) book bags already. No, seriously. I always justify these purchases with the fact that it supports the school and the teachers. When I was running the book fair, teachers received books and vouchers to spend on more books. We also donated some books to the school library. So it’s a good cause and I got some new books. It’s a win-win situation.

 

My Final Choices

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My first choice was a fun book called Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic. The book features artifacts from the British Library’s Harry Potter exhibition.  It is a beautiful collection of historical facts,  Harry Potter trivia, and some great illustrations by none other than J.K. Rowling herself. It is a must for any Potterhead regardless of age. After all, I bought it for myself! I may share with my kids, if they ask nicely.

 

 

 

My second choice was a book that I know my teens will read eventually.  It’s a young adult novel that’s been on my Goodreads “want to read” list for about a year. It was also made in a film that was released earlier this year. The title is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I’ve heard it’s like one of the many futuristic dystopian stories that have been so popular lately (i.e. Hunger Games, Maze Runner, etc). The difference is this one has a protagonist who is into video games and 1980s pop culture. Sounds like fun to me! Now that I have the book on my nightstand, I’ll be more likely to get it off my “to read” list and onto my “2018 books read list” instead. At least, that’s what I tell myself about the piles of books that threaten to topple and hit me in my sleep every night. The link below is to the same version I bought at the book fair. Amazon sells it for about half the price I paid. Sigh. But, it’s for the kids, right?

 

 

Book Fairs Now and Then

Do you remember the book fairs of your youth? What did you like the best? Do you still have any of the books you purchased? What were your favorite childhood stories? I loved the Black Stallion series,  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and, when I was really young, Dr. Seuss’s stories. AS a mom, I bought I Spy books, Mo Willems’ hilarious easy readers, and many boos from series that my kids were into (Warriors, Spiderwick, Percy Jackson, etc).

I don’t have many books left from my childhood. But I do have several book cases full of my kids’ books. Some came from the book fair, some were gifts, and some were just because (as in, just because mom can’t stop buying books).  I’m always on the look out for my next great read or the next great children’s book I can recommend to a friend, read for myself, or give as a gift. If you’ve got a good read to recommend, please tell us about it in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading and sharing!

Here are some more books that I have bought at the book fair. Did you buy any book fair books this year? Share the titles in the comment section too!