The Chilton County YMCA held the first of a two-day book fair on Wednesday for kids in its summer program and throughout the community.

“It promotes reading during the summer and ‘non-screen time’ activities,” said Rebecca Corley, with the book fair. “Anything to stop ‘brain drain’ during the summer months.”

According to Corley, the book fair will serve as a way for the YMCA to receive free books based on the book fair sales.

The book fair offered options for school-age kids that included chapter books, non-fiction and activity books.

True Stories of Gangsters was one book in particular that caught the eye of Saniya Underwood, an eighth grader at Clanton Middle School.

“I like to read about things that happened in the past, because things have changed so much as we get farther into the future,” Underwood said.

Each book was provided by Usborne Books and More, which is one of the leading children’s book publishers in the United Kingdom.

“It’s really fun to read, and it can also make school a lot easier for you,” Underwood said.

Corley has been with the company for four years and handles home sales and the school and library market.

She has worked with Chilton County schools to arrange book fairs in the past.

“Kids just love books, and I love to be able to engage those reluctant readers,” Corley said. “I usually have about three to four events each month that I am working on.”

Corley’s Chilton County connection is strong, as her husband Kevin Corley serves as pastor at Grace Fellowship Church.

“I encourage parents to read aloud to their kids even after they learn to read themselves,” Corley said. “That instills a love for reading.”

The book fair will continue from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday and is open to the public. The prices of books range from $5 to $10.

“The more books that I can get in the hands of kids, the more I love it,” Corley said.