Sentence 1

来週の土曜日、生徒会では体育館の前で古本市を開く予定です。

Next Saturday, the student council plans to hold a used-book fair in front of the gym.

Sentence 2

読み終わった本を集めて、安い値段で売り、そのお金を図書室の本だなに使うことになりました。

It was decided that they would collect books that people had finished reading, sell them at low prices, and use that money for the library shelves.

Sentence 3

みなととさきは、その準備を任された一年生です。

Minato and Saki are first-year students who were put in charge of that preparation.

Sentence 4

最初は、集まった本をそのまま机の上に並べるつもりでした。

At first, they intended to place the collected books on top of the desks just as they were.

Sentence 5

しかし、先生に相談すると、「同じ種類の本は近くに置いたほうがいいですよ」と言われました。

However, when they consulted the teacher, they were told, “It is better to put books of the same kind close together.”

Sentence 6

そこで二人は、物語、料理、勉強、子どもの本の四つに分けることにしました。

So the two of them decided to divide them into four groups: stories, cooking, study books, and children’s books.

Sentence 7

でも、表紙だけでは内容が分かりにくい本もあります。

But there are also books whose contents are hard to understand from the cover alone.

Sentence 8

そのため、さきは紙に短い紹介を書いて、本の前に立てておく案を出しました。

For that reason, Saki suggested writing a short introduction on paper and setting it up in front of each book.

Sentence 9

みなとは「値段も大きく書いておきましょう。聞かなくても分かるようにしたいです」と言いました。

Minato said, “Let’s write the prices large in advance too. I want to make it so that people can understand without asking.”

Sentence 10

作業の前の日に、二人は色の違う紙と太いペンを買っておきました。

On the day before the work, the two of them bought paper of different colors and thick pens in advance.

Sentence 11

当日の朝、机を運ぶ人と会計をする人の場所も決めておいたので、準備は思ったより早く終わりました。

Because they had also decided in advance where the people who carried desks and the people who handled payment would be, the preparation finished earlier than they had expected.

Sentence 12

会場が開くと、低学年の生徒たちは自分で読みたい本をすぐ見つけることができました。

When the venue opened, the lower-grade students were able to quickly find the books they wanted to read by themselves.

Sentence 13

保護者からも「紹介があるから、選びやすいですね」と言われました。

Parents also said, “Because there are introductions, it is easy to choose.”

Sentence 14

その様子を見て、先生も安心した顔をしていました。

Seeing that situation, the teacher also had a relieved expression on his face.

Sentence 15

終わったあと、みなとは「ただ本を集めるだけではなく、来る人の立場で考えることが大切だ」と感じました。

After it ended, Minato felt, “It is important not only to collect books, but also to think from the standpoint of the people who come.”

Sentence 16

さきも「次はポスターも作って、もっと多くの人に来てもらいたい」と話していました。

Saki was also saying, “Next time, I want to make posters too and have more people come.”