The first project in the Harry Potter Alliance's House Cup competition took place March of 2009. The idea was to donate as many books as possible. This page is devoted to my book-gathering and book-giving adventures during March for the project. The Hufflepuffs are going to win! And so are all the recipients of these books! :-)
More Info: http://www.thehpalliance.org/acciobooks/
Random House Book Fair at Carroll Community College
Saturday, March 7, 2009
This was my first time attending this book fair. It was a 2 hour drive (the way I drive, pulling off to snarf landmarks along the way for another of my hobbies, Markeroni) early on a Saturday morning, but well worth it. The book fair at the community college raises money for college scholarships and promotes reading. My fellow BookCrossers and I gave away more than 1000 books for free to people (adults, young adults, and children).
Donated: 350 books
Our table & some of the nonfiction section-
note the colors of the balloons!
The kids book wagon
My new best friend: The Poky Little Puppy!
Another shot of the kids book wagon
The adult fiction section
Books included: 1984 About a Boy Anne of the Island Batman Booked to Die Carrie Chasing Stanley Death of a Salesman Discovering Your Personality Type Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective Ethan Frome Fudge-a-mania Further Five-Minute Mysteries Get Known Before The Book Dea Hornblower and the Atropos How to Clean Practically Anything I'm a Manatee Irish Alibi Jackaroo Jewel Klingon Gambit Kristy's Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club, 1) Lady Chatterley's Lover Like Water For Chocolate Memoirs of a Geisha Monk's Hood Much Ado About Nothing No Exit and Three Other Plays Notebooks of a Chile Verde Smuggler Oliver Twist Once upon a Crime Pearl Harbor Puss 'n Cahoots Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! Ramona and her Mother Renaming the Earth Sensei II: Sword Master Silas Marner Sphere The ABC Murders The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Bridges of Madison County The Catcher in the Rye The Chronicles of Narnia: Aslan The Clan of the Cave Bear The Color Purple The Green Mile The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Other Boleyn Girl The Picture of Dorian Gray The Poisonwood Bible Time Stops for No Mouse Three in Death Under the Tuscan Sun Upheavals of Thought Violets Are Blue Walt Disney's: 101 Dalmatians: A Counting Book White Fang You Can Name 100 Trucks! Zen and the Art of Vampires Zion Canyon
Maxwell marks the bag for good luck
the night before the fair
Buying Books at Yesterday's Rose Thrift Store
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The non-profit thrift store near my house had its monthly bag sale on March 8. I filled up three bags of books- mostly kids. I bought 306 books for $15.75 (and the money goes to charity- how perfect is that?). Not all will be used for this project (and some will be sent to Rwanda), but here's a photo of the 180 that are definitely going to be donated to ECHO later this month:
DADA Donations
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
At my DADA (Defense Against Dumb 'A's Who Don't Get Harry Potter) meetup tonight 3 members gave me books! I'm so very excited and grateful, especially since most are kids books and in excellent condition. I took a picture of my four Marauders posing with the pile of 72 books I got tonight to donate! Thank you so much to the DADA here in the Northern Virginia/DC-Metro area (and in a few cases their kids who also generously gave up their books)!
Lighting a Candle
Tuesday, March 19, 2009
Today I used my laptop camera/recorder for the first time ever to record myself lighting a candle for Rwanda. The candle is in memory of those killed in Rwanda and in hope for the future of the country. Find out more at the Harry Potter Alliance and candlesforrwanda.org
Do I Want To Donate A Book? Of Course I Do!
Monday, March 23, 2009
I went to buy books at Borders today. It's a special book that I called ahead for and the nice lady on the phone put three copies on hold for me without me even needing to ask. So I went to the register to get them during my lunch hour and the woman checking me out asked if I taught at GMU (local college). I told her I worked there as staff (I'm a webmaster for a department). She gave me the educator's discount (which was REALLY nice of her!) and then said that since she had saved me a little money, she wondered if I would be interested in using that money to donate a book to the children's wing at the local hospital. Me donate a book? Why, of course I would! There was a stack of books by the register and she said few people donated books for the older kids. So I selected Twilight. Not my favorite book but, hey, the kids seem to like it.
Donated: 1 brand spanking new book
More Donations
Monday, March 23, 2009
I mentioned this project to one of the writers in my Writers' Roundtable group and she did a little spring cleaning and brought me 40 books to donate! Quite a few are young adult books, and in those she wrote short little notes to tell the next reader what she thought of the book. I'm doing the same thing for those I'm sending to Rwanda. This picture features all the books she gave me, some of which are going to Rwanda and some of which are being donated locally. When I mentioned to her that my house was in the lead but it's a close race, she asked what house I was in. Hufflepuff, of course. She told me that's the house the quizes usually sort her into. So she's an honest-to-goodness Hufflepuff helping out the cause here! And all these great books are now out of her house and on their ways to new homes with needy children!
ECHO: Ecumenical Community Helping Others
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I used to volunteer here at ECHO for about 4 years. Since then, they've expanded their building (literally) but they still serve low-income and no-income families in my town (it provides everything from basic necessities like food and clothing to career councelling and family services). They've always been concerned with child literacy-- whenever we packed bags of toys for children to take home with them we were required to include a book in each bag. And there's a bookshelf of free books for kids to read and take home in the waiting room as well. I bought a ton of books there and also brought a bunch of other donations- clothes and shoes, mostly.
Donated: 288 books
(and 7 bags of clothes, 1 box of shoes)
Wearing my Hufflepuff shirt & scarf!
The pile of donations
Maxwell kitty inspects the bags
Love (my car) loaded up with donations
Books included: 101 Dalmations 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Alice in Wonderland Animals in Winter Bambi Baseball: Startling Stories Behind the RecordsClifford's Tricks Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon Dragon Tales: Emmy's Dream House Donald and the Loch Ness Monster El cuento de Pedrito Conejo (Peter Rabbit) Ella Enchanted Fallen Angels Fantastic Mr. Fox Goldilocks and the Three Bears Growing Up in Ancient Egypt Helen Keller's Teacher Hey, Al If I Ran the Zoo If You Lived In Colonial Times Jess (American Girl) Just for Mom Kittens and Cats Lady and the Tramp Little Town on the Prairie Magic Tree House: Pirates My Secret Unicorn: Stronger Than magicNancy Drew: Pit of Vipers Nature Trivia On My Way with Sesame Street Orla's Upside Down Day Penguins! Pooh Helps Out Ramona the Brave Reptiles Sing-Along Silly Songs Spot Sleeps Over Stray Voltage The Cay The Incredible Hulk: Hulk vs. HulkThe Letter, the Witch, and the Ring The Little Prince The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor The Night Before Christmas The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies The Velveteen Rabbit Toy Story What Is a Star? Witch: The Last Tear Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Even More Donations
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Two extremely generous members of the DADA (my local meetup group) stopped by my house to drop off more than 170 books! They're in great condition and all but two are kids books! Not only does it mean all these books get to kids who need them, but it also means they've freed up space on their bookshelves for more books. It's a win-win for everyone!
Books to the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda
Monday, March 30, 2009
I sent one box of really good books for young adults to Rwanda today! Every book had a post-it note in it (written either by me or by Anne, who donated some of these books the week before) with a few sentences written about the book. I thought that would be a nice touch. Two of the 29 books were Harry Potter books- the first and the last, in fact.
Donated: 29 books
(2 Harry Potter books)
The Marauders posing with the HP books
All the other books sent to Rwanda
Books included: A Royal Pain A Wizard of Earthsea A Wrinkle in Time Anne of Green Gables Bridge to Terabithia Dinotopia Lost Eragon Every Living Thing Flags of the World Gathering Blue Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Jurassic Park Little House on the Prairie Little Women Open Your Eyes Prince Caspian (with special Prince Caspian bookmark)
Silver So You Want to Be a Wizard Something Wicked This Way Comes The Blue Sword The Giver The Hero and the Crown The Hidden Staircase The Land of Oz The Lord of the Rings The Magician's Nephew The Secret Garden Watchers
Pohick & Kings Park Libraries
March 14-31, 2009
Throughout the month, I donated a few books here and there to libraries. Every Saturday when I went to volunteer at Pohick Regional Library, I brought a few books. And on the 31st I took exactly 50 books to Kings Park Library (I volunteer there on Thursdays). Quite a few were in pristine condition and 6 or 7 were nice hardcover editions.
Donated: 60 books
Three of four bags taken to Kings Park Library
Some books taken to Pohick and my computer with the spreadsheet keeping track of all books donated
Books included: A Clockwork Orange Backyard Alchemy Beat to Quarters By the Light of the Moon Cave of the Yellow Volkswagen Christine Crazy Ladies Digital Fortress Dogs/Dogs Fear Nothing Five-Minute Mysteries Forever Odd Ghost Songs Icebound Like Water for Chocolate Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil My Point... and I Do Have One Nothing Natural Powers that Be Prep Rooms and their Airs Scarlet Sharpe's Battle Star Trek: A Flag Full of Stars Star Wars: Jedi Search Stormy Weather The 37th Hour The Ambassador's Son The Art of Aladdin The Beer Cookbook The Typewriter Satyr The Unfastened Heart The Whole Foods Market Cookbook Uncle Tom's Cabin Watchers What I'm On
ECHO: Ecumenical Community Helping Others
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
I stopped by my storage unit last week and found a whole box of clothes I'd put aside to donate and I found some books from my childhood. Coupled with the big donation from Sunday, that meant... a second trip to ECHO in as many weeks! This time I had 3 bags and 1 box of books, 1 bag of clothes, and 1 bag of school supplies.
Donated: 186 books
(and 1 bag of clothes & 1 bag of school supplies)
Wearing my Hufflepuff shirt and posing by the donations.
The donations, ready to find new homes with needy children!
Books included: A Book About Planets A Taste of Blackberries Babar Learns to Cook Bernie Magruder & the Parachute Peril Caps for Sale Dinner at the Panda Palace Farmer Boy Five Little Monkeys Give a Dog a Bone Hatchet How Things Work If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln Indian Crafts and Lore Judy Moody Declares Independence Know it Alls: Dinosaurs! Little House in the Big Woods Millions of Cats NASCAR Racers: The Fast Lane Old Yeller Our Wonderful Solar System (with bookmark about the Sun) Pokemon: Night in the Haunted Tower Rocks & Minerals Sarah, Plain and Tall The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Friends The Chronicles of Narnia: The Quest for Aslan (with Prince Caspian bookmark) Utterly Me, Clarice Bean Whales & Dolphins Zoobooks: Zebras
Total
So that's a toal of 914 books + 1 video for a total of 4775 points. I did the best I could for my house! :-)
A note to all the Hufflepuffs--
Please don't feel bad about not donating enough books! We all have lives outside HP and sometimes things get in the way. Sure it's a team competition but there will be other chances to win the cup for Hufflepuff! What I value most out of this project was how much we as a house encouraged each other to make the world a better place and how we collectively got so very, very many books out to needy people who will enjoy them! I definitely would like to win (we were in the lead for so long! We tried so hard!) but if it's one thing Hufflepuffs know it's that sometimes we don't win, no matter how hard we try. That doesn't make our effort any less noble. Whether you donated a thousand books or couldn't donate any this time around, your hearts were in the right place and that's what counts in my book *hugs*
(posted to the Hufflepuff common room on March 31, 2009)
