The lights turned down, soft music playing in the background, candles and menus were on the tables as the students entered the media center. The media center was transformed into the "Lion's Cafe," the perfect place to taste our new books and some of our classics also. As the students walked in they gathered in the middle of the media center and waited to be seated. I explained the procedures of the afternoon and then allowed them to seat themselves.
Their was an atmosphere of excitement as they tasted the books on their table. I walked around to get a feel for their favorite flavors. At one table the students told me that their book was delicious and they would love to take it to go. Several times when I rang the bell for them to taste new flavors I was met with "Not Yet!" They would linger until someone came to the table to take their place. Students moved from table to table to taste the different genres. I was excited to see the students engaged and truly reading or sampling each book. They were comparing series and commenting that if you like these books then you would love these books.
As they move from table to table they would find me and tell me to put certain books on hold for them. One student came up to me and said, "Realistic Fiction seems to be my favorite flavor." Another student said they couldn't wait to read the entire series. When fifth grade came in they were a little shocked to see me all dressed up as Chef Mitchell but they truly enjoyed their time. I had a long line at the checkout desk of 5th graders wanting to take their books to go over the long weekend.
My sole purpose of hosting these events was to help students find their favorite author or series. At the beginning of the year when I asked students who their favorite author or what their favorite series was they couldn't really give me an answer. I wanted to help them find their author/series. I feel that this event helped accomplish that goal for a lot of the students. Since the event I have had several students come back to the media center and make a dash for the bookcases. It has made this event feel like one of my biggest successes in the media center.
