Here at Bookmans we recently announced that over one million books have been read in the Bookmans Reading Challenge since it began in 2007. That is pretty amazing! I am in awe of all of the participating students and their dedication!

Yesterday, the students of Miss Branstrom's Kindergarten class at Madison Simis Elementary were treated to an all expenses paid field trip to Bookmans. Why? Because their class read 2,460 books in the month of January. With only twenty-six students in the classroom, that averages to 95 books read per student!

When the bus arrived we were greeted by a group of incredibly excited kindergarten students, their parents, and Miss Branstrom. The class received a thorough tour of Bookmans Phoenix inside and out by our Events Liaison, Yvette. Yvette explained to the students what happens to a book when it is traded in Bookmans. As usual the students were excited to visit our break room and see how we spend our free time at work. After the tour was over, we had one last surprise waiting for the students in the Community Room. As the students walked up to the room you could see the surprise on their face as they peeked in through the doors. Tables of snacks, drinks, goodie bags, and balloons were waiting for them inside! We all sat and listened as Yvette explained to everyone what was inside of their Bookmans goodie bags. All of Miss Branstrom's students went home with a “I <3 Bookmans” kids t-shirt, a pencil with a goofy eraser top, and a $10 Kids Coupon. Yvette even explained to everyone how our Kids Club worked and how to continue to earn coupons with our “Read 10, Get 1 Free” Program! Then we were able to enjoy the snacks and beverages.

After trying on the new Bookmans t-shirts and chatting with the children, it was time to spend our coupons! We were off to the Kids Corner where the students shopped for their favorite books. We even enjoyed a math lesson trying to figure out who many books we could get without going over $10.00. I noticed a few favorites amongst the kids. Barbie, Star Wars, Spongebob, Captain Underpants, and lots of books about animals! After choosing our books we all stood in line at the register and each student purchased their own books.

Thank you to Miss Branstrom and students for a wonderful morning at Bookmans. I cannot wait to find out which school will win the next field trip! Check out the pictures of our adventures here on Flickr!