The Book Vending Machine was in response to a problem in our middle school: a lack of access to new and exciting books for our students. Originally, Mrs. Robinson, our 8th-grade English teacher, wanted to do a Scholastic Book Fair because we were looking for ways for kids to get more books. The idea for the book fair was proposed at the end-of-year faculty meeting in 2025.

When asked how the idea shifted from a book fair to the book vending machine, she responded. 

“Mrs. Gordon and I had submitted that request for the book fair for the board and cabinet to discuss.” After some discussion, “Mrs. Gordon came back to me with the idea for the book vending machine, so she actually had the idea,” Mrs. Robinson said.

The Book Vending Machine was a group effort from all of the middle school faculty and staff; however, Mrs. Robinson wants “to give the most credit to Ms. Quigley” for all the facilitation of the vending machine. Now, the middle school teachers are transitioning from logistical work to selecting the books they want, and also determining how students will be able to purchase them.

It was decided that the vending machine would operate on a token system, issued by teachers to students, which would then be used to purchase books from the machine. Mrs. Robinson described the process.

“If a student does something really well, or if they, you know, just do a good deed, anything that’s kind of simple, we could give them some coins.” Also, the middle school teachers “don’t want it to be hard for [the middle schoolers] to get books. [They will] really encourage them to get books,” Robinson said. 

The books are part of a reward system that the teachers are putting together. Some actions that can earn a student coins include showing leadership in class, cleaning up the classroom, or holding the door. It’s more about promoting good deeds through small acts while encouraging reading.

The idea of the vending machine was originally proposed for a different part of the community, as Middle school faculty were actually hoping to have a book vending machine for the adults in the community. After deciding to create an adult lending library instead, the idea of a book vending machine was still in the air, and they realized it might actually be more fun for the kids.

The ultimate goal of the faculty is to promote reading, and they believe this is the next step. They have had success in the past doing “choice reading” instead of assigning one book that some students may not find interesting. Mrs. Robinson discussed how she wants kids to see books as fun.

“We want [the middle school students] to see books as a reward and make it exciting. This will be achieved by [placing] books in there that are new and of high interest. The reading culture in the middle school has been fun and engaging for a while now, with Miss V doing choice reading, and then [myself] continuing that,” Robinson preached.

The Book Vending machine will have a variety of genres for kids of all tastes in reading, with historical fiction, sports books, and graphic novels, which have been observed to be some of the most popular among middle school students. But some classic books are hoped to be added to the vending machine as well, since Mrs. Robinson explained.

“There are some kids who really enjoy some of the more challenging classic books,” Robinson said.

When asked about the benefits for her students, Mrs. Robinson preached.

“Kids just need to find the right book to be able to enjoy reading more. So I think the more books we can have on campus, the better,” Robinson said.

The middle school teachers are still deciding exactly what books will be added to the catalog, and the teachers have a shared spreadsheet throughout the middle school faculty. Everyone’s in the process of adding books that they would want in there, and the final location of the new vending machine is planned to be in the alcove on the top floor of Maggitti, where the middle school students will have convenient access to their brand new book vending machine.

As devices have replaced books in many kids’ hands, the brand new book vending machine aims to get kids reading and loving it like they used to. With the help of several middle school teachers and faculty, including Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Quigley, and Mrs. Gordon, it seems like a reality.