The Cafe Read a Latte opened for business on Friday, featuring a menu of book titles to interest hard core bibliophiles and lighter fare for those who just wanted to whet their appetites.

Those with reservations sat at tables covered with green-checked tablecloths and bowls of snacks. Soft music played in the background. Small reading lamps provided ample light to read by.

A small stack of books greeted patrons at each table, who had 6 minutes to “taste” them before rotating to a different table with different snacks and different book titles.

The Cafe Read a Latte was the creation of Mary Hanson, eighth grade reading teacher at MacArthur Middle School, who created the restaurant experience. Students lined up in the hallway outside Hanson’s room where Hanson, acting as hostess, asked each student their last name before announcing a reservation for them and telling them which table to be seated at. Most stopped at the hostess table just inside the door to pick up a packet of water flavor before taking their seat.

Once everyone was seated, Hanson welcomed them to the cafe and explained the rules of their “dining” experience.

The goal of the cafe setting was for students to “taste” a variety of books, authors and genres in an effort to ignite an interest in reading, Hanson said. Students were encouraged to sample the books by reading the back cover or thumbing through the book to examine the writing style.

“I had heard that other schools do it to try to get students to look at different types of literature and get them to read,” Hanson said. “We have to compete against gaming, and students are losing their taste for reading.”

After tasting several books — and sampling snacks of popcorn, cookies, goldfish and candy — students wrote the name on a guest check of a particular book from each table that appealed to them.

Xavier Hopper and Jesse Stroup were sampling books — and snacks — at their table. Both said they like to read “a little bit” and both said they were intrigued by the book “Knockout” by K.A. Holt.

“I like it because it has words spread out,” Stroup said of the book, which is written in verse. “It’s not just words. It’s visualizing it for us.”

Hopper said he read the back cover of “Knockout” while Stroup said he read a couple of pages in the front to know what it was about. They also said “Max the Mighty” was their favorite book from another table and planned to go back and read it.

Ryan Keplinger, who said she likes to read “sometimes” said she preferred books about history, particularly the Civil War. One book that appealed to her was “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.”

“I saw the movie last year and I would like to see if the book is any different,” she said.

A student at another table was seen reading the last page of a book, which seemed to appall Caroline Fabrega.

Does she ever read the last page before finishing the book?

“No, never,” said Fabrega, who said she loves to read, with young adult romance being her favorite genre.

What method was she using to taste the books on her table?

“I look at what the books are on the table. I get to eat a snack while we go through them. I look inside, and if I like it, I will read the first few pages,” she said, adding that she reads the synopsis on the back cover or in the front of the book.

She said her favorite book was “The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History” about men and women during World War II who tried to hide artifacts from the Nazis.

Cole Briner, who said he enjoys reading, said he looked at the front and back of the books and randomly selected a page to read.

“Today I found one I liked, “Knockout,” he said. “I found it fun how they made it. It was fun to read; they wrote it quite nice. It has an interesting theme.”

Hanson said she will take the guest checks from the students and see which books they enjoyed the most. She plans to spend some of her Amazon money on enough books so students can spend the first 10 minutes of class each day reading for pleasure.

“Reading should be enjoyable,” she said. “It takes you to places you’ve never been and opens your mind to different thoughts.”