Putting the cart before the words: Booktober spreads spirit of reading
Written by Zoe Ying
Photo Credit: Hubert Leong
Visitors to RCHK on the 17th of October may have witnessed an unusual sight: students and teachers racing with decorated book carts on the basketball court. The event was the House Book Cart races, part of the yearly book-themed event, Booktober.
Booktober aims to increase student interest in reading through games and other activities. “People commonly perceive reading as a serious, academic activity, but we want to make it exciting. For example, the book cart races combine reading with sports and house spirit,” said teacher librarian Michelle Roberts.
The theme this year was banned books, with activities including a debate and bingo. “I think banned books is an interesting debate topic,” said Harsha Madhu of the debate team. “It’s really a case of expression versus protection.”
Sweet LIRCing, which combined book-reading with candy, was also back by popular demand. Whether this was due to the enjoyment of the reading or the free candy is still hotly debated.
This calls into question the efficacy of Booktober. Student opinions were divided: “Honestly, I wish Booktober focused more on actual reading than these pointless activities,” said Year 10 student Clement Cheung. “I appreciate the ‘fun’ of Bingo or a race, but I don’t really see how they encourage students to read more.”
His friend Renee Wong disagreed. “Booktober puts the fun into an activity many people think is boring, and that’s always a good thing, right?” Really, Booktober’s all about spreading the spirit of reading, and it has done that very well. When something as mundane as pushing library carts draws a crowd, you know something’s gone very right.