By Evie Miller
Photo by Evie Miller
Free coffee, craft tables, vintage records, and shelves full of popular books made this year’s spring book fair at Willow feel like more than just a place to shop. With themed days and new activities, the fair gave students more reasons to stop by the library and feel the need to stay.
Willow hosts book fairs twice a year, so librarians work hard to keep each one unique and different.
“Because we do book fairs twice yearly, keeping things fresh and exciting is sometimes challenging,” Willow high school librarian Brittney Dayeh said. “Our goal is always to get as many students as possible into the fair, even if they are just browsing or hanging out.”
This year, Blue Cypress book seller Jodi Laidlaw suggested themed days to bring in more students. Mondays had free items, Tuesday had DIY bookmarks, Wednesday had a coffee bar, Thursday had blackout poetry, and Friday had a book page garland.
“It worked,” Dayeh said. “Many students came to check out the daily theme and worked at themed stations once they were done shopping.”
Students said the themed days made the fair more fun and gave them something extra besides books.
“I thought it was really fun, and I liked all the themes this year because it gave variety,” Maggie Franz, a Willow freshman, said.
Freshman Elva Taher agreed. “I loved it because it was a little more different than the past ones, like the craft table.”
The book selection was also a big reason students enjoyed the book fair. Librarians worked with Blue Cypress Books to bring a mix of new releases, classics, and popular favorites. There were also cheaper bargain books and secondhand books for students looking for something cheaper with still impeccable quality.
“There was something for everyone and very interesting books,” Franz remarked.
Max Braunig, a freshman at Willow, said he liked the variety of items, too. “I liked the book fair this year because it had a lot of books and other items that caught people’s attention,” Braunig said.
The fair also included a “vintage physical media” table with records, CDs, CVDS, and cassette tapes for $3 or less. This was one of the most popular additions to this year’s fair.
“It was fun,” Lucia Gonzalez, a ninth grader at Willow, said. “There were a lot of new items that weren’t here last year.”
Even students who did not buy books still enjoyed looking around. Sofia Partesotti, a freshman, said she liked the free activities the most.
“I liked how they gave us a bunch of free stuff,” Partesotti said.
Ms. Dayeh said the success of the fair helps the library continue to grow. This spring book fair was the second-most profitable one since Willow started with Blue Cypress Books in spring 2023. The library received $1,400 in proceeds, which will be used to buy new books for students.
“In my experience, high schoolers do read, and will read, if you give them access to books they want to read,” Brittany Dayeh said.
For librarians, the fair is about more than sales. It helps put the library at the center of school life and reminds students that it is a place for everyone.
