Over two days, Reed Intermediate School library/media specialist Pia Ledina helped her students find their perfect books at The Dinosaur's Paw, a family-owned bookstore in the Plaza South, 274 South Main Street.I Survived book series, the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, The Hunger Games trilogy, The Secret series, The Divergent series, and author Sara Pennypacker's book Pax.

This was the first time, Ms Ledina said, that Reed has hosted a "Destination Book Fair" in place of the school's traditional book fairs, which raise money for the school.

During the book fair The Dinosaur's Paw donated 20 percent of the proceeds to Reed Intermediate School, like regular book fairs, but the traditional book fairs are normally held at the school.

While surrounded by books appropriate for a range of children to young adult readers, Ms Ledina said, "This is the best day of my life." It was the second day the book fair was being hosted, and Ms Ledina was looking forward to seeing more of her students come through the door to the store.

The Destination Book Fair was conducted on Sunday, April 3, and in the evening of Wednesday, April 6. By the second day, Ms Ledina said the fair had offered the opportunity to have "phenomenal conversations with parents" and students had been leaving with books they wanted but may not have expected to actually receive.

Events like the book fair, Ms Ledina said, offer a bridge between school reading expectations for students and expectations from parents.

Reading and finding the "right book," which Ms Ledina explained means a book that will help instill a lifetime love of reading, "can be an adventure for everybody."

Parents, Ms Ledina said, brought both their Reed students and their younger or older children to the store for the event on Sunday. Reed's reading specialist Pam Kohn also attended the fair on Sunday.

The following day at school, Ms Ledina said many students approached her asking for more information about the book fair.

Ms Ledina said the book fair was purposefully timed to coincide with the district's April vacation, and she is betting students will spend their time away from school reading their new books.

The Dinosaur's Paw, Ms Ledina said, has "an amazing choice of books."

Books and serial books popular with Reed students, according to Ms Ledina, include those by author John Green, the

When helping one of her students find their next book to read, Ms Ledina said she assesses and recommends books to both the students and their parents based on the student's reading level, the content of the book, and the maturity of the student. Ms Ledina said her goal is to give students books they will love.

"My number one goal is to match students with books they are going to enjoy," said Ms Ledina, which she said will help students make reading a priority for life. "I try to make reading something they will want to do."

As Ms Ledina explained on Wednesday evening that her students also love reading books by author Patricia Reilly Giff, she was happily surprised to learn from The Dinosaur's Paw's Jim Giff, who owns and manages the store with his family, that the author is his mother.

But Ms Ledina said any book found at the right moment is the "perfect book" for a student.

Reed PTA Book Fair Chair Sabeena Ali arranged the Destination Book Fair after her oldest daughter, Ayesha Ali, who is a student studying professional writing at Western Connecticut State University, took part in a writing class with Ms Giff through The Dinosaur's Paw.

Ms Ali said she decided to change the school's book fair this year from its regular format after looking at how to get "the right books into the kids' hands."

Mr Giff said he is happy to offer events like Reed's Destination Book Fair at his store, and said he also offers help for children coming into the story to find their next read.