Page 2 - Middle School Ideas Guidebook Fall 2018

Dear Book Fair Chairperson,
My favorite school volunteer job has always been to help at the Book Fair (though “job” never
seemed like a fair description – it was much too fun for me). Unpacking boxes of books and setting up displays for our students felt like the start of its own holiday season, full of anticipation. Which books would get them all talking? What book would I suggest to the reluctant reader, the ambitious reader, to my own children?
But my excitement was nothing compared to the moment the students first walked in, their eyes scanning shelves of possibilities. Nothing equaled the moment of seeing a student leaving the Fair with a book they purchased ... a book they wanted to own.
I know the good work performed by your team. And I hope you know how much your work matters. Books build intelligence, instill confidence, create empathy, and have real impacts on lives. Best of all, it’s right there, in their own school, that book that was written just for them! You make that possible.
This Ideas Guidebook is full of wonderful suggestions to help you build on the magic of the Book Fair, to connect books with cre- ative, eye-catching displays. Choose the ideas that appeal most to you, or perhaps they will be a starting point for your own imag- ination. No matter how simple or how stylized, it will add to the lifelong memories your students will have of their Book Fairs.
Thank you for all your hard work, for your ideas, and for your commitment to building passionate readers. As a former volunteer, as an author, and as a mother of children who benefitted from our Scholastic Book Fair, I recognize and honor you.
Happy reading!
Jennifer A. Nielsen Author
P.S. If you or any of your classes want to connect with me, I’m on Twitter and Instagram as @nielsenwriter, or on Facebook as Jennifer A. Nielsen, Author.
Introducing the fall 2018 theme