Books for Keeps Holds Massive Book Sale, Thursday Through Sunday

Hey, you. Yes, you. If you’re out on the Atlanta Highway today or during the weekend, why not head to Perimeter Square Shopping Center on Huntington Road?

There, you’ll find a building filled with 25,000 books, suitable for adults and children, that you can peruse and purchase. They money you pay will help Books for Keeps, a local non-profit that gives books to public school children in Athens so they have something to read over the summer months.

“We’re selling the books we can’t use for our summer reading program to raise funds for the books we need most,” said Books for Keeps founder Melaney Smith.

Prices range from $.25 - $3 per book. On Sunday, there will be a bag sale, when customers can get a bag o' books for $5.

Since Books for Keeps started in 2011, it has distributed nearly 50,000 books to students at Alps Elementary, Stroud Elementary, Fowler Drive Elementary, Gaines Elementary, JJ Harris Elementary, Clarke Middle School, and Clarke Central High School.

Books for Keeps gives books to public school kids--from Pre-K to 12th grade--to prevent an academic achievement loss known as summer slide.

“Research has shown that kids who don’t read during the summer often return to school lagging two to three months behind their classmates,” said UGA reading researcher and Books for Keeps board member Dr. Jennifer Graff. “The gap compounds every year, often affecting children from low-income families at an alarmingly disproportionate rate. By giving books directly to kids, we enable them to read all summer and, hopefully, mitigate summer slide.”

The sale lets the organization buy high-interest books--ones recommended by media center directors--that will engage young readers.

Here's the book sale schedule:

Thursday Aug. 23: 4:45-8:00pm (there's a $10 admission fee and a free tote)
Friday Aug. 24:  11:00am-5:00pm
Saturday Aug. 25: 9am-5pm
Sunday Aug. 26: 1pm to 5pm-3pm