About 400 families and teachers searched through 30,000 free books in the gym of John Hopkins on Dec. 14.
The Reading Opens the World book fair had titles for readers from early childhood to high school.
The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association was one of the sponsors of the event.
The books were donated by the American Federation of Teachers.
Paula Stephens, who works with the Pinellas teachers’ union and is a former JHop reading teacher, organized the activity.
“This is my first time coordinating this type of event,” Ms. Stephens said. “I did attend my very first ‘First Book’ event right here at JHop about six years ago. There were so many books and families. It left an impression, and I thought it was time to bring it back to JHop.”
The event also featured speakers, story time, free snacks and Lego Replay boxes.
