The Scholastic book fair is coming to TMU

The Scholastic Book Fair has announced that it is expanding its stay in Canada, including a stint at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).

The Scholastic x BookTok collab event, sponsored by TikTok, has been hailed as a saviour of physical media by some and a shameless nostalgia-baiting cash grab by others. Despite this, it is undeniable that hype follows the fair wherever it lands.

The most recent stop on the book fair’s Canadian tour in Vancouver saw thousands of students come through its door in the span of its three day occupation of the University of British Columbia's (UBC) campus store. 

“We didn’t expect the sheer volume of customers,” said Maude Leibenstein, the manager of UBC’s campus store. “We ended up having to send out a call-out for additional volunteers to come be book helpers and reading buddies at the event.” 

TMU almost lost their bid to host the event to George Brown College. This was after  several classes had their cards changed from green to yellow on the board

“Initially we were told that we were ineligible to host the Book Fair,” said Camryn Pagnello, a library technician at TMU. “We didn’t collect enough Box Tops.” 

The emergency Box Top drive was a success meaning the book fair is proceeding as planned. It will be held in the place where the sketchy costume store appears every October. 

One of the biggest draws of the BookTok x Scholastic Book Fair has reportedly been the exclusive items that come free with the purchase of popular novels. 

“I stood in line for six hours,” said Caroline Risha, a public policy student at UBC. “At one point my pacemaker started to malfunction, but I stayed in that line and you better believe the next morning I woke up in the hospital with a copy of It Ends With Us, and the limited edition casserole scented eraser in my hand.” 

Other best sellers include the Six of Crows “No Mourners, No Funerals” friendship necklaces, a The Love Hypothesis alternate Reylo cover and the controversial A Court of Thorns and Roses “pleasures of the faerie DIY self-liberation kit.”

Students are reminded to make sure to ask your parents or guardians to send money in a Ziploc bag with the amount written on it.