Clara’s Book Boxes

Clara and Jack were helping with a book swap at the library. Mrs Reed had already counted one hundred and twenty-six donated books. Just before lunch, a neighbour arrived with fifty-eight more. Clara looked at the crowded sorting table. “How many have we got now?”

Jack reached for a book and began counting from one. Clara stopped him gently. “Mrs Reed has counted those boxes already. We could use the totals instead.” She found a notebook while Jack put the new books in a separate space. They wanted a reliable total before moving anything.

Clara split the numbers into parts. One hundred and twenty-six was one hundred, two tens and six ones. Fifty-eight was five tens and eight ones. “The ones make fourteen,” Jack said. “That’s another ten and four ones.” Clara wrote down what he had noticed.

The seven tens they already had, plus the new ten, made eight tens. One hundred, eight tens and four ones made one hundred and eighty-four. “One hundred and eighty-four books,” Clara said. Jack checked that they had included both donations, rather than just the newest pile.

Mrs Reed asked if they could check another way. Clara added fifty to one hundred and twenty-six and reached one hundred and seventy-six. Eight more made one hundred and eighty-four. Jack tapped the first answer in the notebook. Both methods gave the same total.

As they began sorting, a box handle tore. Jack caught the bottom before the books slid out. Clara fetched a stronger box, and Mrs Reed helped them transfer the books. They kept each counted group together, so their careful record would still match what they had.

They arranged the books on low tables, with stories at one end and information books at the other. Clara put the total on the welcome board. Jack left their notebook beside Mrs Reed. If another donation arrived, they could add it to the record.

The library doors opened for the swap. Clara watched a child choose a book about the sea. “I’m glad we didn’t count everything again,” Jack said. Clara nodded. Their different checking methods had saved time, and now the books were ready for new readers.