Bibliophiles rejoice! This year, for the first time, the Library Media Center participated in World Book Night, an annual international event to promote reading.  The event, in which various groups and libraries distribute free books to those who would not normally read is held each year on April 23.

“The only requirement was that we give the books to students who would read them,” said librarian Ms. Mary Seligman.

A consortium of booksellers and librarians selected the books, which have included acclaimed novels such as John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner, among many others.  The assortment of books were on display in the library throughout the day.  By the end of sixth period, all the books were gone.

“I went last period so there weren’t many books left, but I still took two. It’s a good event because it makes people read. I hope next year the selection is expanded,” said sophomore Rana Ismail.

“The goal of World Book Night is to get high quality literature into the hands of people. My hope is that students enjoy the books they took.  It would be nice if, after reading the book, they would pass it on to someone else to read,” said Ms. Seligman.