SPANISH FORK — Eleven-year-old Thor Vest can't promise he'll read all of the 141 books he donated to his school library.

After all, Vest likes to read, he says, but "not at times I want to do other stuff."

"Maybe my friends will read them," he said. " ... It just depends which friends."

Honest, mature and pragmatic, the fifth-grader at Rees Elementary said his main reason for donating the books last month was the empty shelves he spotted in the school's library.

"I kind of did it because the school, they treat me so nice," Vest said. "I wanted to give back."

Vest donated the books with the help of his mother and the owner of a Springville consignment shop. The project took about a month.

Books include "Star Wars: Heir to the Empire," titles from the "Boxcar Children" series and a few books in Spanish.

"Well, my dad is an immigrant from Denmark," said Vest's mother, Claudia Vest. "He ... was always telling his grandkids, 'Through reading you can learn.' That's how he learned English. That's how he expanded his vocabulary. If you can write well, read well and speak well, you'll always do well in life."

Vest gave old toys and clothes to the consignment shop in exchange for books. He also used money he had earned mowing lawns, doing chores at home and cash he had garnered from birthdays and holidays.

Vest purchased about 30 books. His mother contributed about $10 to the cause — about 20 additional books.

The remaining books — about 90 — were donated by Patty Hulce, owner of Wandering Wardrobe, the consignment shop in Springville.

"I think he's a good kid," she said about Vest. "I think it's a great thing — the positive attitude toward life and how he wants to help other people."

Hulce said she donated books that her children had read when younger and books that were for sale in her store.

"I think we're going to start calling some other schools to see if they want books," said Hulce. "I had no idea there was such a book shortage."

Rees Elementary moved four years ago from an older building.

A portion of the library's collection is so old — with some books about 100 years old — school librarian LouElla Boothe won't place them on shelves until they are repaired, which Vest and his mother are working on after school.

Other books in Rees' collection are out-of-date, referring to concepts and objects no longer in use.

Some of the books that Vest donated to Rees Elementary will end up in the main school library, Principal Mike Larsen said.

Others will be categorized by difficulty and end up in the levelled reading library for teachers to select for students.

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com