The event was first scheduled for February 28th, but we had to postpone due to inclement weather. We had over 60 students sign-up originally, but after rescheduling, multiple snow days, and Spring Break, only 15 students ended up attending. Still, those 15 avid readers ended up reading over 3,000 pages in four hours!
Preparations started at the beginning of February. The book club members began advertising the event and encouraging students throughout the school to sign-up through our book club website. I used a Google Form to keep track of everything, and had each attendee provide their name, English teacher, and grade level.
Each participant was responsible for finding their own sponsor, and I was in charge of finding prizes for the event. The reading themed prizes were donated by my friends and colleagues and really helped to cultivate excitement for the activity. We ended up with a wide range of prizes, including a Harry Potter wand pen, a reading light, fun bookmarks and page holders, and even prism glasses that allow to read comfortably while laying down. We displayed them in the library throughout February and March.
- Scrabble & Boggle
- Book Bingo: Fill out the Bingo form by finding books in the library for each category
- Book in a jar: Guess the book title and author with only the parts of the book you can see in a jar.
- Head's Up App: A Taboo/Catch Phrase style app that allows you to make your own literary categories.
The readers have this week to collect and turn in their money from their sponsors. Ultimately though, it was most satisfying just see these kids spending their Saturday reading. And all in all, it was a fantastic success and an event that I would love to host again!