For the fifth year in the row, Booth Library presented the Edible Book Festival Thursday afternoon as a part of National Library Week.

Todd Bruns, the organizer of the event, said he brought edible books to Eastern.  This is the first year the event was at the end of the week instead of the event that kicks it off.

The entries were placed in two categories, the dean’s choice and the people’s choice.  The people’s choice had four subcategories, including funniest pun, student entry, family entry and children’s book.

The main winner of the contest was the people’s winner Katie Jenkins, a freshman undecided major.  Her piece was based off the book “A Clockwork Orange.”

She said her mother gave her the idea of the title of the book, but she had the idea of using a real working clock in a cake.

“My mother helped me make the entry because it was a two person job,” she said. “We bought a $4 clock from Walmart and took it apart, created a hole in the cake to put the clock motor in and decorated around the arms of the clock.”

Jenkins said she decided to use real clock parts instead of frosting for the arms because she wanted to be different and go big for her entry.

She said this was her first time entering in the competition and she might do it again next year.

“This event is a celebration of reading.  It was started in the year 2000 by two French women named Béatrice Coron and Judith A. Hoffberg,” Bruns said. “It is now a event that happens in libraries around the world.”

He said he loves how creative people can be with this but wishes more Eastern students would participate in the event.

“It is a fun thing they could participate in. Students who participate would learn about a bunch of books that they may not have heard of before,” he said.

During his time running the event he has learned about many books he did not know existed and he believes the students will have the same experience, Bruns said.

Stephanie White can be reached at 581-2812 or at sewhtie2@eiu.edu.