I've seen an old thread about children's school book fairs, and was shocked to find that many mums thought the whole thing was a waste of time and money, with their offspring being coerced into buying overpriced, poor quality books. My eldest daughter and I organise half price book fairs at schools, and we love it - I've always been an avid reader so my kids were brought up in a home full of books, and they could all read before they started school! Some of the schools we go to do give the children a chance to have a quick look at the books during the afternoon, but the book fair itself is held after school. Parents who don't want to spend money on books don't have to come in, but those who do usually end up buying several books as they're such good value. We love being told what great books we've got, and how reasonable the prices are, and it's really lovely to see the kids taking such an interest in reading. We do all the work ourselves and the school gets 20% commission on everything we sell. And all our books are half price, so their commission goes a long way!! It's a win-win situation for parents, children and teachers - and of course, for us. We actually look forward to going to work - how many mums can say that?