BETHEL — Librarian Mackenzie Richard, of Albany, who splits her time between the Crescent Park School (CPS) and the Woodstock School said the upcoming Fourth Grade Reading Challenge is, “not really a night of sleep for me, but is a lifelong memory for them.”

Since August, each child has been reading 12 different books across various genres. On May 2, they’ll get to sleep over in the CPS library. The genres include biography, autobiography, mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels. “The goal is not just to understand different genres, but to discover what’s out there and, hopefully, find ‘their’ book,” Richard explained.

Richard views the year-long reading challenge as “a pretty sweet deal” for the kids. Last year, she hosted the event for both fourth and fifth graders.

On sleepover night, the kids will watch “Harry Potter,” a book they’ve been reading in class. They will snack and play games. They’ll bring sleeping bags to spend the night on the library floor, they’ll race through the halls and play a game called sardines, which is similar to hide and seek.

Around 20 kids are expected, and Richard says, “It’s wild.” The following morning, they’ll have breakfast with cereal, milk, and muffins before being picked up by parents by 8 a.m.

Richard added, “Then I go home and take a nap.”

She said former School Librarian Betsy Raymond, originated the book challenge and sleepover. “Betsy deserves a lot of the credit for this. It was her brainchild, and I just was passed the torch,” Richard said.

When she first started as librarian, Richard called Raymond for advice, and they ended up talking for three hours. Raymond had started the Sleepover Club in 1997 and held it every year until she retired in 2021.

Raymond said, “About 20 fourth graders earned their spot at the sleepover every May after reading a book a month in a particular genre (historical fiction, mystery, adventure, etc.). This was a highlight of the year for me, and for the fourth graders who ‘made it’!  I often have past students come up to me and say that they remember the fun we had that night.”

Field Trip

At the start of the school year, Richard takes her fourth graders on a walking field trip to the Bethel Library to get their library cards and meet Librarian Kelcey Arciga. “The connection between the Bethel Library and ours is strong. Kelcey and I are friends, but I think it would exist regardless,” she said.

Some students bring books from the Bethel Library to school for Richard to return. She said she doesn’t mind, as she always has her own books to return.

Richard, an English major currently completing her Library Science degree, notes that graphic novels are particularly popular among her students. She doesn’t understand some people’s bias toward the genre. “They offer a fascinating, entirely new way to tell a story,” she said. “They help with comprehension, especially with the images and artwork. They’re also quick to read, which gives students a sense of accomplishment and encourages more reading.”

In the library, a central bookcase holds about 100 graphic novels, which Richard notes are becoming increasingly popular. To meet growing student interest, she plans to add more graphic novels to the collection. “If that’s what the kids want to read, I’ll make sure they have them,” she said.

Outside of her work as a librarian, Richard enjoys literary fiction, historical fiction, and high fantasy. Her husband gifted her a Kindle, opening up new reading experiences. Recently, she loved Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.

“If I’m struggling to find something to read, I just go to the library and browse,” she said.