Beach Elementary School is enjoying the benefits of an overly successful book drive in Georgia.

Jordan Krenz, a 17-year-old senior from Marietta, Ga., collected more than 5,300 books for a Cobb County literacy program. After dividing books between a neighborhood elementary school and a battered women’s shelter, she needed to find a place for the nearly 4,300 books left.

Krenz had the idea to give the books to a school recovering from Hurricane Katrina. One of Krenz’s cousin lives in Wiggins, so she targeted Mississippi.

Pascagoula’s Beach Elementary was flooded by Katrina’s surge on Aug. 29, 2005. Students finally returned to the school last week.

The Krenz family delivered the 1,500 pounds of books in a U-Haul to the school a few days ago.

“It was just like a mountain of books,” said principal Shirley Hunter.