Gold coins have a way of getting Hoxsie School students excited about reading.

The coins are rewards for doing something good in school. It could be as simple as helping a teacher pass out papers, giving a cheery “good morning,” completing homework or merely because a teacher or Principal Gary McCoombs feels compelled to hand out one of the coins that are about the size of a quarter. Well, coin rewards are more discretionary than that.

McCoombs said the distribution of coins dovetail with the principle of the school’s three R’s and reading is not one of them. The three R’s are: respect, responsibility and readiness.

The kids don’t get to keep the coins. Rather, the coins are to be used to get books that students get to keep as their own.

But there’s a catch; the coins only work in a vending machine. The machine is imposing and glitzy with flashing blue lights and a well illuminated display of books arranged at different levels. The upper levels contain books suitable for fourth and fifth graders with the lowest level appropriate books for kindergarteners and first graders. These are books that the students would not have read in class.

That’s a good part of the appeal, but it’s the process and the vending machine that sets this reading enticement apart from browsing the shelves of a library or visiting a bookstore.

It hasn’t been easy to get the vending machine.

McCoombs spotted a book vending machine in Pawtucket, made some inquiries as to how the program worked and how students responded. He then brought the idea back to Hoxsie and to the PTO. As McCoombs put it last Thursday, buying the machine and stocking it with books was “super pricey.” He put the cost at $6,000. In addition, in order to sustain the program, the school and PTO will need to periodically buy a fresh supply of books. The Hoxsie machine carries, although not all of them are on display at a time, 50 fiction and non fiction titles. Global Vending sells the machines and the books.

“The Feinstein Foundation has been a tremendous help,” McCoombs said. A Hoxsie student was a winner of a Feinstein gold card that gave the school $5,000 and the student who won it, $500 to give at their discretion.

Tana Murphy, president of the Hoxsie PTO said the organization was also involved in raising funds and played a role in the program. Initially, the plan was to have the machine operational for the school’s open house in September. That would have worked but when the machine arrived, it looked like it had been in a collision. One side was severely dented and it tilted to one side.

“It must have been dropped,” said Murphy. The vending machine wasn’t going to be ready for open house.

A replacement arrived last week and immediately attracted attention. First, it can’t be missed and finding a location proved problematic as it needs an outlet and the only one available was in the middle of a corridor.

But then the very point of the coins and the machine is to put a spotlight on reading.

“What better way to inspire a kid to read instead of giving them stickers (for number of pages or books read),” said McCoombs.

But aren’t kids learning to read from their Chromebooks, tablets and cell phones?

Hoxsie reading teacher Kerrie Place says technology plays a role, however, “we’re trying to get them to love books.” She said there is no substitute for a book that you can hold and turn the pages; it’s a connection. Better yet, at Hoxsie School, a new book is as close as the vending machine.