Book Fair Funds

How will Tanika and Caleb decide to spend the proceeds from the book fair?

1 Tanika and Caleb sat at a large round table in the library with their teacher, Mr. Rutledge, and one of the school librarians, Mrs. Angley. The adults were grinning widely at Tanika and Caleb, who smiled back uncertainly.

2 “You are probably wondering why we asked you both to stay a few minutes after school today,” began Mr. Rutledge. “We have the totals from last weekend’s book fair, and we wanted to share them with you,” he continued. “Mrs. Angley, will you do the honors?” he asked, turning to the librarian.

3 Mrs. Angley nodded. “This has been the most successful book fair in the nine years that Washington has held book fairs,” she said, passing out a sheet of paper that showed the results of previous book fairs. “Much of the credit goes to you two,” she added, gesturing to Tanika and Caleb, who still had expressions of awe on their faces. “Mr. Rutledge is also deserving of some credit since it was his idea to involve such creative and motivated students in planning the fair. ”

4 “This is great news,” said Caleb. “We could see that people were enjoying themselves at the fair, but we had no idea how that would translate into profits. 5 “The planning required a lot of work,” added Tanika, “but we had so much help. It really was a team effort. ”

6 “Because you both put so much energy and enthusiasm into this event,” said Mr. Rutledge, “we’ve decided that we could use your help in allocating the money we raised. The principal and the library staff have already set aside funds for items that are necessities. However, it has not yet been decided how the remaining money will be used. Do you have any ideas?”

7 Caleb and Tanika were quiet for a moment as they thought about the possibilities. Then, Caleb spoke up. “I agree with what Tanika said about the fair being a team effort. Students from every class contributed, and it would be nice if there was a way we could show our appreciation. Could they help decide which books will be added to the library’s collection?” he asked.

8 “That’s an excellent idea,” agreed Mr. Rutledge.

9 “If there’s any money leftover,” said Tanika, “do you think we could use it to bring authors and illustrators to the school more often? Everyone I talked to seemed to think that was the best part of the fair.

10 Mrs. Angley nodded. “We’ve already put some money aside for that,” she said. “The school received several donations from parents during the fair, and the principal thinks that the money would be well spent just as you’ve suggested. ”

11 “There’s just one more thing,” said Mr. Rutledge, turning to Tanika and Caleb. “Would you consider helping to plan next year’s book fair? We could use your expertise. ”

12 Tanika and Caleb exchanged glances. “With an invitation like that, how could we resist?” said Caleb.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

116

1. Why do Caleb and Tanika think that the students should be able to vote on the books that will be added to the library?

2. Do you think that Caleb and Tanika work well together as a team? Why or why not?

3. Why did Mr. Rutledge and Mrs. Angley decide to ask for Caleb and Tanika’s help?

4. What is the setting for this story?

5. Do you think that Caleb and Tanika will choose to work together on future projects? Explain.

6. Check the line beside the word or words that best describe what type of selection this is.

a tall tale _____ realistic fiction _____ historical fiction

7. In paragraph 6, what does allocating mean?

8. If you were in Caleb or Tanika’s place, how would you choose to spend the money?

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

117