Full of so much excitement, we present Bulk Bookstore’s first ever contest winner to receive free books for the classroom. The response to our first giveaway in March 2016 was huge – and we thank all of the teachers who committed to the process, kept their fingers crossed, and keep the love of reading alive in their classrooms each and every day. Because of this, you are ALL Bulk Bookstore winners to us!

Without further adieu, we present to you Miss Chandra Merryman of Shafer Middle School in Nashville, Tennessee. A dedicated teacher and reader for over 18 years, Miss Merryman currently has the incredible responsibility of bringing her love for all things literature to all 90 of her 8^th grade reading/language arts students.

It takes a certain kind of love for learning and commitment to education to not only do the best you can with the resources you’re given in schools, but to step outside the walls of your classroom and find ways to bring even more to the young minds you are enriching. In our opinion, going the extra mile for education is on a whole new level of amazing, and the book specialists at Bulk Bookstore are beaming with pride because of it. When I spoke to Merryman, her excitement was evident, her gratitude overflowing, and her she was ready for book-shopping action.

Thinking of her students’ needs before her own, Merryman polled a few “avid readers” from her classes to learn about which books they would find most captivating and engaging.She found that most of these students were especially interested in texts with strong plot elements, and her group was able to decide on LindaSue Park’s “A Long Walk to Water”, a New York Times bestselling novel.

Told in two sections, from the perspectives of both an 11-year-old male and female, this intriguing story about two Sudanese children enduring hardship, attack, and hardcore survival skills, this story provides a myriad of learning opportunities and teachable moments with it’s cross-curricular content. Students are able to connect with both perspectives and gain a greater understanding of life on the other side of the world, all while dissecting critical literary elements.

To the book specialists at Bulk Bookstore, it sounds like Miss Chandra Merryman and her readers have made a terrific choice. Shafer Middle School has jumped in on the excitement and provided a contribution on top of Miss Merryman’s winnings – ensuring that each student would have their very own copy to read.

As Merryman told me on our call, “We will begin reading this novel the day they arrive!”

We can feel the excitement from here and are wishing all of Miss Merryman’s 8^th grade students the happiest of reading adventures! For more details on our ongoing giveaway and contest rules, make sure to follow BulkBookstore on Facebook!

Learn more about The Big K-12 Educators Bulk Book Giveaway designed exclusively for the education community to have the opportunity to win free books for your schools or classrooms and enter to win below.