By Myra Bean

Batesville Middle School held a Book Fair last week in the school library. Librarian Mary Katherine Toliver kept busy ringing up sales of not only books but other trinkets and novelties available to students.

Jackson Self, fourth grader, bought a poster with some of the top NFL players including is favorite Odell Beckham, Jr. “He’s the best wide receiver in the world,” Self said.

Self is a member of the Batesville Tigers 9-and-10-year old team who won the Super Bowl last weekend . In the semi-finals, Self had a fumble recovery. “It was easy,” he said.

Amiah Haynie and Kalah Flowers were at the book store after having placed second in the district reading fair for their group project. Haynie said she can find things at a book fair that she can’t find in the regular stores.

Toliver said the hottest item was the UV pens that she sold out of.

As for books, the students were scrambling for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown” which came out Oct. 30 and “The Dork Diaries.”

“It’s been going like hotcakes,” Toliver said of the Wimpy Kid book.

Toliver said several of the teachers have come in with their EBS cards to buy books for the classroom. Alexia Wall chose the book  “The Collector.” The cover looks like the Chuckie doll. Her cousin in Virginia went to a book fair and told Wall about the book.

Wall had asked her to get her a book. The Virginia cousin said no.

In the mocking voice that only a middle schooler can use, Wall said, “She said no, you’re going to be too scary. You always crying and you want to sleep with somebody.”

“I said no I’m not and I told her when we have a book fair I’m going to get it and read and if I get scared I will tell you,” she said.

Cousins Landen Johnson and Larry Hinton cousins got the same book, Chima Character Encyclopedia. Hinton said, “Cause we thought it was cool.”

McKenzie Gant said the stores “don’t have the cool posters” like unicorn cat.

Reanah Thetford said, “I have come in here every single day so far.”

The posters had cool bargain prices of $4.75 and $5.Amiah Haynie and Kalah Flowers said they can get get lots of different things other places don’t sell.

Reading teacher Niki Burchfield stopped in to buy some books and add to her classroom’s library. She had a copy of “The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown.”

“They will fight over this one,” she said. “To me it is exciting to see them come in and excited to read. Sometimes they are not excited to read. I like it when they have gotten books instead of trinkets.”

The students get to read when they have finished assignment and have some free time in the classroom.

“I’m a reading teacher and I hate to say put your book up. We have lots of books to read but the ones who like to read have already picked through them,” Burchfield said.