This Christmas, Rock Hill Middle School students got the gift that keeps on giving all year long: New books, compliments of the school's literacy team and the Scholastic Book Company.

When the literacy team members ordered $4,700 in new books recently from the Scholastic Book Company, they discovered their order entitled them to 96,000 bonus points, enough for 2,900 free books.

"No one has ever given us free books before, ever," middle school teacher Denise Fraley said. "We're pretty excited about this."

Fraley said team members had several options for spending their bonus points. They opted to purchase small libraries for 29 classrooms. The 100-volume miniature libraries will be kept on rotating stands in the classrooms for use as part of classroom instruction and as fillers for free time.

"The whole goal is to get get them interested in reading and develop that love for learning," home economics teacher Lana Hardy said.

"We deal with a lot of children who do not have access to books at home," Fraley said. "This gives them an on-hand, ready supply of books."

The school's literacy team has undertaken several new programs in

the last couple of years aimed at encouraging reading among students.

The goal for the literacy program is to have each student read 8-12 books," Fraley said. "We hope never to have a kid who says 'I'm finished with my work, now what do you want me to do?' That's not going to happen now."