Essex, Missouri – The Richland Elementary and High School students and faculty have been celebrating the official opening of the Scholastic Book Fair. The Book Fair is an annual event that brings students of all ages to the library, anxious to see what new books have just been put on the shelves for them to read. This year’s theme is The Story Laboratory and the Book Fair has introduced new authors, series, and novels to the Richland students.
Due to the spooky Story Laboratory theme, the library has been transformed into a mad scientist’s lab with a giant Periodic Table of Authors and a beaker full of worms that requires all guests to figure out how many of them are inside.
The fun started off earlier in the week with a door decorating contest and trivia games. Every morning, a famous quote or line is read out of a popular book that each student has the opportunity to guess. If the student guesses correctly and their name is drawn, they are rewarded with a special snack during lunch hour. The answers to the questions are scattered all over the school, leading the kids on scavenger hunts in between classes.
The elementary students watched a clip or video that the Scholastics Company produced to highlight the special books that will be at the Book Fair this year. Many of those books are fresh out of the printer and are currently on the Mark Twin, Truman, or Gateway reading lists, which are all books that the state of Missouri has chosen for certain grade levels.
After watching the short video, the students walked around the library and made a wish list so that they would have no trouble finding a book that they had been interested in. The library was bustling tonight with guests and parents while the high school basketball game was going on in the gym. Tonight was Family Night at the Book Fair and most of the students brought their lists and made their wishes a reality by purchasing their new favorite books.
Although the Book Fair highlights things for the younger students, the high school students also made their very own wish lists. There is a large Young Adult section in the library where the students got to help choose books for their high school library along with their personal book shelf at home. The high school and junior high students are enjoying the weeks full of games and activities that go along with the Book Fair as well.
The Book Fair is divided into two different halves: one side for the younger children and the other side for the older ones. The shelves are full of picture books for toddlers or preschoolers and even have small books for students that are just learning to read. They have a wide variety of story books, diaries, and books full of fun facts. The other side of the Book Fair contains things that even the parents will enjoy, such as: cook books, holiday gifts, and novels.
Family Night is officially over, but the Story Laboratory is still open in the Richland High School Library Monday through Thursday after school until four o’clock. The Laboratory will be packing up and shipping out after Valentine’s Day due to the students being out of school with a four day weekend.
The proceeds from the Book Fair go to Scholastics but they also benefit the Richland School District. By supporting the Book Fair, you are also supporting the staff, school, and students. So, come on out and find your favorite book at the Story Laboratory in the high school library!
