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To some nostalgic millennials, the Scholastic Book Fair was the highlight of their elementary school years. But a new TikTok about the iconic book fair has some book-loving adults feeling old — and even a little “scared” — after seeing some of the book titles currently on sale.
“Just found out what the scholastic book fair looks like now…” wrote Chase Lee (@chaseleee) in the video of his TikTok.
@chaseleee I’m scared. #fyp #foru #booktok #scary ♬ a mirrorball girl – aye loves vivi ☆!
Lee then shared the covers of several books in the sale, including one about the video game Among Us, a guide to all things TikTok and a novel called K-Pop Revolution. There was even a multi-book series about Baby Shark on the ordering sheet.
“I’m scared,” Lee wrote in the caption of the post, which now has over 4.3 million views.
Apparently, he’s not the only one concerned for the future generations. Commenters were disappointed in the reading options, too.
“This is so sad,” commented @angry.asian.activist.
“You’re joking,” added @stxrsabovemars.
The titles are certainly different from what most millennials remember seeing at the fair, especially since Among Us and TikTok weren’t invented yet. But as many TikTok users pointed out, the generational divide really isn’t as wide as it may seem.
For one thing, the book fair has always catered to a wide range of interests, ages and reading levels. It also isn’t just known for its award-winning kids’ books and often sells fun accessories like stickers, wall calendars and even funky-looking pens and bookmarks. Yet while the inventory may change from year to year, the items in the fair often follow pop culture trends — and that’s bound to look different over the course of several decades.
“y’all are hallucinating ours had some bs going on as well,” quipped @danii.barr in the comments.
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“In the 2000s we also had stuff like this,” added @cinnamonlune. “I remember there being Miley and Justin Bieber books too and our parents probably thought it was silly.”
@millennialkyle “Mom? Could you come back to the school?” 😬 #fyp #school #scholasticbookfair #90s #millennials ♬ Upside Down – A*Teens
In 2022, a Canadian teacher named Rebecca (@rebecca.amyeileen) went viral for breaking down “What your Scholastic Book Fair purchases say about you” on TikTok. Her video took millennials down memory lane by recalling how things like spy pens and bubblegum-scented highlighters were once among the fair’s most coveted items.
@rebecca.amyeileen I personally was a big fan of the ice cream erasers #teachertok #canadianteacher #grade1 #scholasticbookfair #early2000s ♬ Cartoon-style piano solo jazz(853970) – motofuji
Others have shown off their own Scholastic Book Fair hauls online, which they’ve carefully saved for years. For the user @lcocobeans, some of her most prized possessions appear to be colorful erasers in various shapes.
@lcocobeans as per requested: (sorry for low quality) #erasers #eraser #erasercollection #iwako #lcocobeans #scholasticbookfair ♬ original sound – South Park
One user, @thegamblercivic, even discovered a Scholastic Book Fair for adults, which basically featured all of the same ’90s-era items he remembered — from chocolate calculators to Lamborghini posters.
According to the TikToker, “the nostalgia trip was intense.”
@thegamblercivic I didn’t even know these were still a thing!!! #Scholastics #Scholastic #BookFair #ScholasticBookFair #90s #Nostalgia #Books #Reading #LamborghiniPoster #90sKids #Book #1990s #FYP ♬ aquatic ambience – scizzie*+
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