Blind Date with a Book: Teacher Appreciation Edition (Includes Free Printables)

Blind Date with a Book is a fun, unique experience that’s been popping up in middle school libraries and book stores for some time now. Well, if there's anyone who can take a trending idea and turn it into a teacher appreciation experience, it's the PTO!  Not gonna lie...we love seeing this fun teacher appreciation trend play out across social media (along with every school librarian out there 🙌). 

Looking ahead to Valentine's Day—which also happens to be International Book Giving Day!—and National Reading Month, we wanted to share tips on how to host a Blind Date with a Book event for your school's teachers. Plus, you can also download our free "Blind Date with a Book" banner and sign for the teachers' lounge (Canva templates). 

How Blind Date with a Book works

The concept is simple: each book is wrapped in brown craft paper so the cover is hidden, and a few short teasers about the plot and genre are written on the outside of the wrapping. Teachers choose a “date” (ahem, a book) based on clues, unwrap it, and...either love it or hate it (and get to trade with a colleague!). You can also add extras to each wrapped book to make it feel even more thoughtful, like a bookmark, a tea bag, a wrapped biscotti, or a piece of chocolate. 

The thrill of picking a surprise book based on clues is a unique interactive experience for teachers to share with each other that works any time of the year:

• Valentine's Day (February 14) 
• International Book Giving Day (February 14)
• National Reading Month (March)
• Read Across America Day (March 2)
• National School Librarian Day (April 4)
• Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day (April 12)
• Teacher Appreciation Week (May)—a Reading Rainbow or Book It theme is fun for a 90s themed Teacher Appreciation Week
• National Book Lovers Day (August 9)
• Banned Books Week (October 4–10, 2026)
• Ahead of school vacation weeks (you can theme it accordingly, like "Blind Date with a Book: Winter Break Edition", or "Blind Date with a Book: Summer Break Edition")

Photo: Haine Schools PTO, Cranberry Township, PA

What you'll need to host a Blind Date with a Book: Teacher Appreciation Edition

1. Collect Books

Ask families and staff to donate gently used or new books, or use PTO funds to purchase. Jenny Petersen from Cartersville Elementary School PTC in Cartersville, Georgia, collected books all summer. The PTC reached out to authors and publishers, as well as parents for gently used or new books. They also went to their local library's used book sale and purchased 45 books for $30.  

Choose a mix of genres so every teacher can find something that fits their reading style—think thrillers, beach reads, rom-coms, historical novels, self-care, inspirational, and professional reads. If you’re short on books, ask the local library for donations or check discount book bins. Make sure every staff member gets one—and consider putting out extras to make sure no one gets left out.

Photo: Cartersville Elementary School PTC, Cartersville, GA

2. Brainstorm "Teaser" Clues for Each Book 

Before wrapping your books, come up with a list of hints for each title and write them on Index cards to keep clues and book titles organized. Avoid writing out the book title—instead, write clues like “Cozy mystery • Small town • Heartwarming characters”, “Adventure, humor, and a dash of chaos", and "Beachy read • Teacher is the main character (aka superhero) • Blast from the past". If you haven't personally read every title(!), use ChatGPT to generate your teaser "hints"—just type your book titles in, and ask ChatGPT to generate a teaser line or 3-5 quick hints about each book in the style of blind date with a book.  

3. Wrap the Books

Use brown craft wrapping paper (Amazon), gift wrap, or even leftover bulletin board paper. Wrap each book, one at a time so that you don't forget which clues go with which book (some of us learned this hard way, eek). Using a Sharpie marker, neatly write clues about the book on the front—just enough to intrigue teachers without giving anything away. Have fun with it! 

@lilypaperslibrary

This is how to wrap a blind date with a book. Or just a book. Or a rectangular thing. Enjoy!

♬ original sound - LilyPapersLibrary

4. "Accessorize" Your Books 

This step is totally optional, of course, but we all know small, fun gestures go a long way when it comes to teacher appreciation! Consider tucking in a few small extras to each wrapped book, like a bookmark, a tea bag, a wrapped cookie (like a biscotti or tea biscuit), or a piece of chocolate. If you're doing a Blind Date with a Book for teachers for Valentine's Day, add red and pink heart stickers to each cover, tuck in a piece of wrapped chocolate, and tie with red and white twine.

5. Create a Blind Date with a Book Display

Create a cute table setup with wrapped books stacked in baskets or arranged like a “mystery library” in the teachers' lounge. You can also set up books on a cart you roll to each classroom. Add a sign that reads “Enjoy a Blind Date with a Book” that explains how it works. You can also use our FREE Blind Date with a Book sign and banner (Canva templates). 

Laurie Fogle Mireles from M. H. Specht Elementary PTA in San Antonio, Texas, shares, "This may have been the most popular thing we’ve ever done. They LOVED it!"

Photo: M. H. Specht Elementary PTA, San Antonio, TX

6. Encourage Teachers to Share Which Books They Got

Invite teachers to share their “blind date”.  After the big reveal, teachers can trade with each other, book swap style. Many schools shared this has turned into a fun mini-community event! 

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