Super and National Book Store (NBS) surprised book lovers at NBS’ newly renovated SM North Edsa branch (it’s so beautiful, guys) by giving them free books.

 

We watched 17-year-old Erika Mae Bautista, a young adult (YA) fan, go from shelf to shelf, carefully reading the back cover of different books.We planted Lauren Kate’s “Waterfall” on a shelf and asked her to play a little game with us. “Which book doesn’t belong on this shelf?” we asked her. “If you find it, it’s yours.”

 

She found the book on her third try. “Enjoy your book,” we said and she beamed.

 

Richa Allyssa Noriega and Dianne Mariano are 17-year-old Journalism students from UST.  “Which newspaper do you read?” we asked Richa.  “PDI po,” she said.

 

When told they were getting free books, Richa said, her eyes lighting up, “As in book for free talaga? Oh my God.”

 

Richa picked Amy Ewing’s “Black Key” while Dianne got “Seven Wonders: The Legend of the Rift” by Peter Lerangis.

Lulu Elison was going through a pile of 50-percent off books at NBS Cut-Price Sale (it runs until today) when she picked up “Animal Querkles,” a puzzling color by numbers book.

 

“Congratulations! You get that book for free!” we told her.

 

Lulu seemed delighted, leafing through the pages. “Is this like cross-stitching? I do cross-stitch.”

 

She was off to search for a book for her grandchild. “I like to collect books.”

 

We spotted 5-year-old TJ Balanquit with his mom Anna and sister Ava, who is 9 months old and we decided to give him “Old School,” the newest book in Jeff Kinney’s immensely popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series.

 

“Look, TJ, it has a lot of drawings and then you can explain them to me,” his mom said. “It’s his first ‘Wimpy Kid’ book,” Anna then told Super.

 

“Thank you,” said TJ, grinning.