BOLIVAR, Mo. -- Students from Bolivar Middle School were guests on Oprah Winfrey’s national talk show on Friday, all because of a few books. Students and teachers alike have been turning the pages at a feverish pace over the last year. That passion made the students part of two national phenomena.

As Winfrey took the stage in Chicago on Friday morning, the middle school students and teachers took their seats in the middle school library. About halfway through the taping of her show, they talked to Winfrey via Skype, an Internet video and audio service. 

More importantly -- in their minds, at least – they also talked to Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Series, whose “story came to her in a dream." The dream that kick-started the Twilight books grew into a dream-come-true for the teachers in Bolivar.

 "It was a passion and a frenzy when I started writing," Meyer said on the show.

 Educators use the same words to describe how their students approached reading the series.

 "We had reluctant readers reading books for the first time," said 6th grade teacher Lisa Doyle.

 "I read them in four days," said 8th grader Jaden Roark.

 "Now I just love to read," said 7th grade student Anthony Azzun.

 That passion is evident in the number of books flying off the shelves: 4,000 this time last year; close to 6,500 this year.

 "We decided we better enlighten Oprah," the teachers said.

So they shipped off an e-mail message on Dec. 4, 2008. They finally heard back last Tuesday and, Friday, got to go straight to Meyer, and tell her what those books have done to library wait-lists.

 "Before this started, we had a wait list of 13. After this it grew to 1,000," said school librarian Kristal Methvin.

 “I think we can fix that. I think next week you won't need a wait list anymore," Meyer responded.

 That's because everybody gets a set of books -- 600 in all.

 "Seeing the kids faces, kids who can't afford books, now you're going to make me cry," the middle school teachers said of receiving the gift.

 "It was crazy," said 7th grader Jacob Graver.

 "It felt really special," Melody Glasgow said.

 "I'm going to keep the ones from them, but give the other set to my brother,” said Dashia Breesawitz.

  That, these teachers say, is really the point: spreading an unparalleled love of reading.

 "They're a part of this. They're a part of something huge," Methvin said.

 The teachers say these books have changed the culture of literacy not just in their school, but also for middle- and high school-age students across the nation.

As for the 600 sets of books, they're scheduled to arrive next week.