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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I don't wnat to buy overpriced books even if the school gets money for them

63 replies

Twiglett · 08/10/2008 16:25

and i don't consider a travelling 'book fair' to be a literacy event

and the fact you take the classes down during school time just exacerbates the problems (kids are supposed to bring in their money to buy something)

it is emotional blackmail - my bloody DD ended up with a Barbie book because I couldn't stand the tantrums over her not being allowed 2 other books due to cost and crapness ... we don't do Barbie in this house .. all she wanted was the tiara anyway

the books are sold at cover price - who buys books at cover price?

I already support the school with school link purchases (school gets books in return) and amazon purchases (school gets

I hate it

AIBU to complain to school about it

OP posts:
Original poster
Twiglett · 08/10/2008 16:56

I object to paying full price for a book though - that is no longer the UK book market

OP posts:
ThreadieKrueger · 08/10/2008 17:02

I hate these events. They are supposed to encourage reading but the whole 'eat your greens' (i.e. 'read because it's good for you') ethos is actually discouraging. Much better to sit on the floor at Waterstones or the library and read through a book chosen from a huge range -- or even do as DS2 did the other day and sit on the floor in Tesco reading an (unpaid for) Brisingr while I was shopping. (We did buy it afterwards.)

AbbeyA · 08/10/2008 17:18

It is voluntary! You don't even have to go and look at them if you don't want to! I have never had a problem as I like any opportunity to buy a book!

onager · 08/10/2008 17:25

If our schools are so poor they need to fundraise can't we get some rich country to send us aid packages?

Original poster
Twiglett · 08/10/2008 17:25

It is so NOT voluntary

it is pester power in the extreme

the classes are taken down by the teacher and you are encouraged to send in money

it is selling books at full price .. limited collection of books

it's bribery and emotional blackmail and I say this as someone who supports the school in many other ways

OP posts:
StewieGriffinsMom · 08/10/2008 17:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

AbbeyA · 08/10/2008 17:44

I would use it as an opportunity to look at them and go and buy them on amazon! Your DC is not going to mind where it comes from.

HappyMummyOfOne · 08/10/2008 18:29

I like the book sale

We have a quartely book leaflet with discounted books and the sale was near the end of summer term (only just gone into year 1 so presume its just one book fair per year).

There was a good choice of books, nice storybooks as well as character ones. We bought a good selection, yes they are full price but a very high percentage goes to the school.

The leaflets are cheaper but the school doesnt make as much percentage wise.

Polgara2 · 08/10/2008 18:37

Well have been to ours today and managed to get 5 books for a fiver! Managed to steer the girls to the offer books which were much better value than the full price ones and fortunately they were ones that they liked. Totally agree about the pester power and overpricing generally though. Don't send money in with them any more tho since a few years ago dd1 thought she would spend the fiver on A POSTER!!! She soon learnt my vocal opinion on her choice of course.

Original poster
Twiglett · 08/10/2008 18:41

AbbeyA .. do you actually have children? .. they're not going to mind aren't they?

OP posts:
Original poster
Twiglett · 08/10/2008 18:43

I think there's a difference between SchoolLink or similar (the quarterly booklets at a decent price) and the Book Fair which is a totally different animal

OP posts:
AbbeyA · 08/10/2008 18:52

I never tested it Twiglett-I am just a push over for books so will buy one at any opportunity! If I was really against it I would try the amazon route. I have boys who are never bothered about buying a book so it was never an issue.

Original poster
Twiglett · 08/10/2008 18:56

it's just the reading my boy isn't bothered by .. the actual buying it he is extremely bothered by

and my girl just follows suit even though she can't read

OP posts:
MaloryDontDiveItsShallow · 08/10/2008 18:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pointydog · 08/10/2008 19:00

I just say no if I don't want them to get a book. If there's a fuss and they haven't had a book for a while, I tell them they'll get to pick a better one at the book shop.

AbbeyA · 08/10/2008 19:16

The secret Twiglett is always to want to buy a book and you will find that not only don't they want a book, but they don't want to buy one either!! (If anyone has a method of getting reluctant boys to read I will be pleased to hear it!).

Elasticwoman · 08/10/2008 19:28

I think you should complain to the school about the "book fair" being in school time. Commerce and education should be kept separate and in both primary schools my dc went to, these events were after school and therefore attendance was voluntary.

We buy books through Amazon mostly and prefer to support the school through its pta events.

Elasticwoman · 08/10/2008 19:29

AbbeyA: to get reluctant children to read, read to them regularly and sooner or later you'll find something they like. Don't have alternative forms of entertainment in their bedrooms either.

FAQ · 08/10/2008 19:32

I have usually avoided the book sales at the DS's infant school - but today was "lured" into looking by the sight of some posters which I know that DS2 will love for his birthday.

Had a look around and I didn't think them particularly overpriced, and there was a pretty good selection too (imo)

Original poster
Twiglett · 08/10/2008 19:37

if they are cover price they are over priced IMHO

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AbbeyA · 08/10/2008 19:38

You haven't seen my diatribes on the horrors of TV and computers in bedrooms Elasticwoman! I read to DS2 until he was 12yrs old. They will read, but not a lot and they stick to certain well tested authors. As a lifelong bookworm I find it difficult.

roisin · 08/10/2008 19:42

At our school book fairs are timed at the same time as parent teacher consultations, but classes also go down during the school day.

If I get positive reports from the teacher, I give them a book ... but not one from the book fair!

We have Scholastic too and so much of the stuff is utter rubbish, tat, writing sets and sticker books, not real books with stories in!

We use the Scholastic book club magazines in my secondary and this works well: books are generally well-priced with a few spectacularly good offers (usually on sets) and the school gets a decent amount of commission.

nooka · 08/10/2008 19:44

Our book fair was organised by the PTA. We raised $6k for the school, plus $1k worth of books for classrooms. This was in the US though. We sold the books at cover value, but then books are much cheaper here. I thought it a great event as it got the kids interested in reading. It was a whole week, and each class spent perhaps an hour during that time looking at books. We made sure the ratio of crap books was low, but there were a few movie tie ins. It coincided with grandparents day, when loads of grandparents came in and bought lots of books for their grandchildren (and had a big nosh up, plus various displays). I spend a lot of money on books anyway

FAQ · 08/10/2008 20:14

well yes ours is Scholastic - I shall be going back tomorrow (as I spent my money for the book fair on paying for DS2's school trip which I'd forgotten about until the secretary reminded me ) to buy DS1 a book - no it's not a story book, it's a book about cars, he loves cars, reads anything about cars from cover to cover.

Does it really matter (particularly at infant age) what the story is about, whether it's tied into a TV/film or a "proper" children's story (or even a non-fiction one such as the one I@ve seen for DS1) - surely the idea is to get children enjoying reading???

Who cares if it's not a great literary masterpiece - I certainly don't - as long as my children are enjoying reading.

cory · 08/10/2008 20:46

I don't mind the pester power so much as the fact that the crap ratio is almost 100%. My problem with this is that the money I spend at the book fair is money that will then not be available to buy them quality books, the sort of books that you can read again and again because the language works and the pictures work and the story line is gripping.

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