Nothing quite matches the nostalgic scent of an old book, or the shiny cover of a new one. Whether you’re into classics or fantasy, Lit Loot is the perfect program: two books to read over a break, a candy bar, an art activity and other goodies.
Library Media Specialists Ms. Cassi Flores and Mrs. Tonishia LaMartina heard about the Lit Loot program in one of their library conferences, and decided to implement it over fall and spring break, to encourage interaction between students and the library. Many people love reading, but don’t know what to read. Sophomore Valerie Sappington points out how Lit Loot alleviates these concerns.
“It was nice because it’s hard to find books sometimes, and it was cool that I just had to put some stuff in and then I got books that would be really interesting to me,” Sappington said. “Join it. It’s great.”
With Lit Loot, the librarians will pick your books for you — in fact, Flores loves picking out books for the students based on what they say their interests are.
“It’s like every librarian’s dream, right? Like, that’s the best thing to do. It’s like, ‘Oh, what do you want to read?’ Okay, I think I know,” Flores said.
Lit Loot packages all of the above into a custom-designed drawstring bag with a number, signifying how each partaker is the sole recipient of each bag. Such small details encompass the overall atmosphere of Lit Loot. Currently, there are a limited number of spots, but LaMartina plans on expanding the program.
“It would be nice to maybe have an end-of-the-quarter celebration for those that participated. And they could share what they liked about their books with others and get other book ideas,” LaMartina said. “Each time you are able to connect or talk to students about books, like, your understanding of what they’re looking for gets deeper.”
Senior Brayden Mick explained how the Lit Loot program got him back into reading and motivated him. He also liked the bag design.
“It motivated me to read because there’s no point in doing it if I’m not going to put in the work and not read the book,” Mick said. “Unless you were told this beforehand, you don’t get to keep the bag, which really sucks. The design is so cool. I wish I could keep it.”
Freshman Molly Metzger explained how she enjoyed the Lit Loot program.
“[It] made me feel really happy. It’s just a super fun way to read and get a bunch of different rewards and stuff, it’s just really fun,” Metzger said.
The “Loot” in Lit Loot even varies between bags.
For the 2024-25 school year, the first Lit Loot bag came with two books chosen by librarians LaMartina and Flores, a rainbow-scratch bookmark and colored string, a round tri-colored Pop-It! toy with nine bubbles and a keychain, and a snack-size Hershey’s bar.
The second Lit Loot bag came with two books, a four-inch square canvas and two bi-tipped art markers, a BOGO Marcus Theatres ticket and small drinks coupon combo, two various stickers, and a snack-size Kit-Kat bar.
Flores explains her goal of the program.
“My goal would be to find some way to measure that success, and hear from students about what they thought about their books, and see if they actually read them or not. Because that’s the measure for me is like, I want kids to read more and to enjoy what they’re reading,” Flores said.
Sophomore Sivani Kandel happened to read so many books that Flores found difficulty in finding books that she hasn’t read yet. However, together they found one of her books to read. Overall, she appreciated how the program allowed her to connect further with the library.
“It’s harder for me to like, find something new. Ms. Flores helped me out, she’s great, I enjoy talking to her. It feels like I spend more time in the library from that, too, so it’s nice to have a greater connection with the library,” Kandel said.
Sometimes students don’t come to the library because they think they won’t find a book like. However, the survey takes away this indecision — just a simple submit and then later the bag will be delivered to the students with ease. LaMartina explains how talking to those who are reluctant readers can be difficult, but the survey allows her to find books that the students will enjoy.
“It gives that opportunity… If you have a group of students that are reluctant readers or haven’t had a good experience with reading, then it’s tough to be able to have those conversations,” LaMartina said. “Or if they do the Lit Loot, we can look at the survey, and we have time to really look through — what do we have? What can we try to give this student? What will they like?”
