Birthday boy grabs nearly 50 books in viral shopping spree

  • The preteen grabbed books from a series on history
  • The total cost for his haul came to more than $270
  • Book shopping sprees have become a trend on TikTok

FILE – Books sit on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. The battle over how to teach reading has landed in court. With momentum shifting in favor of research-backed strategies known as the “science of reading,” states and some school districts have been ditching once popular programs amid concerns that they aren’t effective. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr., File)

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(NewsNation) — A mom went viral after she shared a video of her 12-year-old son celebrating his birthday with a timed shopping spree that resulted in a haul of 47 books.

Jaci Moore gave her son the shopping spree as a present after original plans to visit an aquarium fell through because his sister was sick. As she narrated the spree, she didn’t expect Bentley to pick out quite so many books, imagining he would walk away with around a dozen.

The pre-teen filled his bag to overflowing with books from a series called Who What Where, which teaches kids about important people and moments in history, from pop culture to politics.

Book shopping sprees have become a trend on TikTok, thanks in part to the popularity of BookTok, a community on TikTok where readers share reviews and recommendations for books.

The popularity of BookTok has boosted sales for books, especially in the fantasy and romance genres, which have large followings on the app.

Book shopping sprees on the app show readers racing through bookstores, grabbing as many books as possible in a set period of time. The resulting piles of books show the success of shoppers who can add them to their to-be-read pile.

Bentley and his mom did weed out a handful of duplicates that he already had at home, but he still walked away with a big stack of books. The cost for Moore? It came to more than $270.

Midwest

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