I hope your hometown library is affiliated with a Friends of the Library organization because they can contribute so much to the growth and development of a library!
One of my favorite things they do to help their local library is book sales. Most libraries have an area where a small collection (depending on the space the library gives them) of books, audio books, magazines, dvds, etc... are on sale all of the time, but most libraries will have a monthly book sale that is quite large and my current library, the Bainbridge Island branch of the Kitsap Regional Library, holds 2 or three per month. Most of them are held during my work day, but yesterday I wasn't working and I wasn't vacationing, so I went and boy, am I glad!
I spent $17 (included $5 gift certificate that I've been waiting to spend, so only $12 came out of my pocket!) and got this load of books:
I picked up a Jodi Picoult hardcover for $1 for me, and a couple of Tin Tin books in French for my son, who can pass for a native of France and has lived there on two separate occasions. The rest are for my classroom.
Hardcovers:
- Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
- Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
- Zoe's Jungle by Bethanie Deeney Murguia
- Our Children Can Soar by Michelle Cook
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
- The Dragon in the Sock Drawer by Kate Klimo
- Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure by Georgia Byng
Paperbacks:
7 Rainbow Magic books, all by Daisy Meadows
- Emily the Emerald Fairy
- Pearl the Cloud Fairy
- Brooke the Photographer Fairy
- Katie the Kitten Fairy
- Hope the Happiness Fairy
- Crystal the Snow Fairy
- Polly the Party Fun Fairy
My general rule for purchasing used books is to stick with hardcovers, but I will buy paperbacks to fill out a series or if a book/series is popular in my class and duplicate copies would be beneficial.
