The 2024 Book Wrapped was created by librarian Beth Wilson so students could share their favorite books they read that year. The 2024 book wrapped is a new event created with the intention of allowing people passing by the library to view many different suggestions.
There are posters all around the library entrance with the cover of the book, the author and name, what student or teacher recommended it and why they recommended it with a quote from the student or teacher. There is also a QR code on the corner of each poster stating what genre of book it is and more information on the book. The QR code helps students find out if the book is currently available and where else they might be able to find the book.
“I got the idea from Spotify, everyone was so excited about sharing what their top music was, so I got the idea that students might be excited to share their top book, too,” Wilson said.
Wilson posted the Form on Teams towards the end of first semester so the participants could have time to think about what book they want to suggest. She was very happy with how many people participated. Around 40 people submitted a response in total.
Not only did students fill out the form, but many staff members did as well. “A lot of teachers participated because they especially like to share their reading,” Wilson said.
Since so many people within a wide age range participated, many different books and genres are shown within the recommendations, ranging from comic books to classics.
One of the teachers who participated was English teacher Kelsey Porter. “I decided to participate because I think it’s really important to kind of share with the Central community… I think it’s easier to pick up a book if someone else recommends it,” Porter said.
Porter recommended four books because there were a lot of books she enjoyed reading and wanted to recommend a variety of genres. Porter heard about the Book Wrapped through librarian Jennifer Kawecki, who was advertising it to the staff with the help of the book club.
When asked if she believes it should be an annual thing, Porter didn’t hesitate to say “absolutely, I think it’s so nice to see what other teachers and students are reading.” She wishes for the Book Wrapped to happen for many years to come as it’s a good resource for many students.
Porter struggles with figuring out what books interest them and what books she wants to read next, but the 2024 Book Wrapped helped with that. “Good ideas for what to add to my own like, to-read-next pile,” Porter said.
She herself has looked at other recommendations and is excited to see what the favorite books of other students or staff are about.
