Last week, Chapin’s annual Book Fair, a celebration of reading and storytelling, was held! Once again, it brought together students, families, alumnae, members of Chapin’s Professional Community (PC) and authors for two days of community, conversation and, of course, books.
After months of planning by the Parents’ Association volunteers, in partnership with PC members, the event was a tremendous success. A diverse array of authors participated, their works covering fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, children’s literature, memoir, biography and more. The School’s hallways set a joyful tone leading up to the festivities, adorned with photos of students and PC members proudly holding their favorite books. Green and Gold balloons and decorations filled the Assembly Room (AR), adding vibrant school spirit.
The Upper School shopping event kicked off the festivities on Thursday, December 4, offering the students time to themselves to browse the extensive collection of books and discover new authors and genres. Later that evening, Chapin welcomed parents, PC and alumnae to the School for the annual Book Fair Cocktail Party. Guests enjoyed time connecting with each other as well as the authors, having their books signed and exploring the latest selection of Gator Gear.
Signing authors at the evening event included:
- Laura Lee Flanagan ’91, Hardcore Vegetarian
- Molly Jong-Fast, How to Lose Your Mother
- Nicola Kraus ’92, The Best We Could Hope For
- Nicole Graev Lipson ’94, Mothers and Other Fictional Characters
- Cynthia Weiner ’84, A Gorgeous Excitement
- Amy Larocca, How to Be Well
- Lauren Willig ’95, The Girl from Greenwich Street
A community-wide raffle brought extra excitement, featuring prize packages for Lower, Middle and Upper School students, as well as for parents and PC members. Congratulations to all of the winners, who were announced during the cocktail party!
On Friday, December 5, Lower and Middle School students visited the Book Fair during scheduled time slots with parents who were invited to join. The girls enthusiastically explored the curated selection, many leaving with arms full of new reading material.
The students also had the opportunity to speak with several authors and purchase signed books. These authors included Denise Roasrio Adusei, Joshua Greene, Lisa Greenwald, Emily Hurd, Sheetal Sheth and Sayantani DasGupta.
In the days leading up to the Book Fair, other authors spent time with the divisions, sharing their creative process, reading excerpts from their work and answering student questions. Upper School students welcomed How to Be Well author Amy Larocca. Middle School enjoyed a visit from Ruth Chan, author of Uprooted, and Lower School students met Denise Rosario Adusei, author of Cesaria Feels the Beat. Students were eager to hear from these writers and enjoyed behind-the-scenes looks into the world of writing and storytelling.
We are deeply grateful for the leadership of the PA Book Fair Chairs and for the dedication of our many parent volunteers:
- Books and Authors: Carre Hughes
- Communications: Geeta Garg
- Events and Décor: Elizabeth Tyndell
- Finance: Nanette Ooi
A special thank you goes to Alana, Tivia and Richard Kramer for their generous sponsorship of the Book Fair and to the following contributors: Maribeth Gainard & Hal Goltz, Enke Bashllari & Alec Hanson, Elaine & Edward Cong, So-Young Kim & Hyun Oh Chung, Sevda & Blake Kleinman, Denise Leung & William Hung, Natalie & Christopher Mellia, Lawrence Neubauer, Young & Eugene Park, Stephanie Perry & Jens Winther, Reshma Rughwani & Ravi Pherwani, Qi Ou & Yisheng Zhou, Vanessa Rosales & Leibnitz Zambrano, Caroline Waxler & Michael Levitt, Sphakamile Zungu-Noel & Rodrigue Noel.
Additional thanks go to Chapin’s Food Services and Facilities teams, our librarians and all PC members whose support helped make this year’s Book Fair such a success.
Three cheers for another wonderful Chapin Book Fair — and happy reading to all!
Browse more photos HERE. (Click on the brackets in the upper right corner to view the photos in full resolution.)