Buy a book, build a library: fundraising to bring books to Black Tickle

If you buy a book in Corner Brook Wednesday evening, you could be putting a new book into the hands of a student in a remote Labrador community.

Krista Conway, an English teacher at St. Peter's School in Black Tickle, says there are some voracious readers in her K-12 school — but they've already read every book they can get their hands on.

"Our school has a small collection, but my avid readers have already been through [it] and some of it's outdated," she told CBC Radio's Corner Brook Morning Show.

"There are a lot of repeated copies, and not the high-interest novels students are looking for." 

Unique challenge for remote town

More than a hundred kilometres away from the nearest book store, Conway said getting new books to the isolated community of Black Tickle is challenging.

Even online shopping can be difficult considering spotty Internet access and high shipping costs. 

While in her hometown for Easter break, Conway hopes she can collect some new books to bring back with her.

Partnering with the local Coles bookstore, Conway has invitations for customers to present to store staff when they purchase a book between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Twenty per cent of sales will go to a fund to buy the books Black Tickle students want most.

She said their wish list includes everything from musician biographies, to young adult fiction to pop culture classics like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Discovering your inner bookworm

But Conway said it's more than just feeding a passion for her book-loving students — Wednesday is also about encouraging others to discover their love of reading as well.

She said reluctant readers — much like school students — likely won't get excited about books that were picked by a panel of teachers a decade earlier.

She hopes fundraiser supporters will come to the store and find the book that speaks directly to them and their interests.