Talley’s “True” Book Fair Ensures Equity and Fosters Positive Reading Culture for ALL

“My heart is SOARING! My mom NEVER lets me get books from the book fair!”*

While they are anticipated events for some students, traditional book fairs can unintentionally expose the inequities among our students, as not every family has the means to purchase books. In the past, schools have provided book coupons for students who are unable to purchase books, but that still serves as a social divider between the “haves” and “have-nots.” Additionally, book fairs temporarily shut down school libraries, whose core mission is to provide equitable access to resources for all students. 

With equity in mind, Talley’s Media Specialist Ashley Long set out to host a “True” Book Fair (a book fair that is “truly” fair). Using funds from a DEF Teacher Innovation Grant, she sought to create a traditional book fair at which every Talley student could choose two books to take home for summer reading. 

“It is our district’s and our school’s mission to weave equity into everything that we do,” Ms. Long commented. “We have reimagined traditional book fairs to reduce harm and increase student access to resources and excitement for reading. Our hope is that we can build a sustainable event that ignites enthusiasm for years to come.” 

After months of event planning, surveying students, and applying for grants and book donations, Ms. Long and some dedicated volunteers were ready. In May, students walked into Talley’s first “True” Book Fair to see tables everywhere, stacked with a wide variety of high-quality books of many genres and reading levels. Every Talley student (650 total!) visited the book fair to peruse books written by a diverse group of authors, featuring characters that represent all kinds of life experiences, and each one of them was able to choose two books to take home for summer reading.

Research by Allington and McGill-Franzen (2017) has shown that providing low-income students access to self-selected books over the summer produces the same effect as attending summer school. We want to tap into this potential to get kids excited about reading, but also to send books home that can be used to close summer learning gaps. 

There is one more hurdle to jump before transitioning completely to “True” Book Fairs: the traditional book fair model is an important fundraiser for our school libraries. It will be important to find alternative means of fundraising to ensure our school libraries continue to thrive and provide access to a wide variety of books for our students. Because, as Ms. Long says, “The joy of new book ownership is something we want ALL of our students to experience.” 

*Quote from a Talley student attending the “True” Book Fair