Submitted Photo
By Camden Staton
Contributing writer
For Sarah Boblett, reading has always been a very prominent activity in her life. Now that she’s a librarian at Buchanan Elementary, she has the platform to influence and encourage kids to take up reading for themselves. “Through reading, kids can learn about the places they haven’t been and even learn about themselves,” Boblett explained. “Reading opens up the doors to empathy.”
Since Boblett believes that reading is such an important thing in the lives of young kids, she has decided to start a community scavenger hunt in Buchanan that revolves around reading.
With the help of some of her students and other teachers, she has been able to take off with Lucky in Literature. It’s a play on a take, borrow, and trade system with books. Hidden around Buchanan are colorful envelopes with books inside of them. Those who find the envelopes can take the book, read it, return it to the envelope, and then pick another special place to hide it. They can also replace the book with another and then hide it again.
Boblett is very insistent on making reading more social and fun. “Kids love to uncover things,” Boblett said. “It’s something fun to do as a family.” They’re colorful envelopes waiting to be uncovered in Buchanan at such places as the Dollar General, near the fire department, the post office, and Mt. Joy Trailer Park.
Boblett urges those who find the colorful envelopes to post about the program on social media with the hashtags: #LuckyinLiterature and #SimplyBuchanan.