RICHARD STEPHENS / PVTElyse Dunsterville and Beatty school Librarian Liz Robbins help students choose their books. Advertisement

AMARGOSA VALLEY -- Elyse Dunsterville didn't think her Amargosa Elementary School fifth grade class' chances of winning were particularly good when she entered them in Scholastic Books' Whoopi! We're Reading! Sweepstakes.

After all, some 17,000 other classes also submitted entries after reading the required 100 books.

So Dunsterville was surprised when she received the e-mail notifying her that her class was one of 100 nationwide -- and the only one in Nevada -- to win.

Her class was also mentioned on Whoopi Goldberg's radio show.

The prize was 1,000 books geared to a variety of reading levels. The idea of the contest, says Dunsterville, was to give the books away and share the joy of reading.

Every student in Amargosa Elementary and Middle schools received a book, and the class donated another 200 to the Amargosa Community Library. Some were used by teachers, and some held in reserve for future Amargosa students.

Dunsterville sent 200 north to be distributed to students in Gabbs, and March 21 her fifth-grade class accompanied her to Beatty to distribute 200 books to students and to the library of Beatty Elementary and Middle schools, where each student was allowed to choose a book to keep, and the rest went into the school library.