Congratulations to Sleepy Hollow teen Kenyan Gustafson for being selected as one of 18 winners across the United States and Canada in the WrestleMania Reading Challenge. This is the second year in a row that Kenyan has been a WrestleMania Reading Challenge winner!
In October students in grades 5-12 signed up at the Fox River Valley Public Library District for the reading challenge. They pledged to read five books between that time and April 7, the date of WrestleMania 29. The teens also wrote letters to their favorite WWE superstars to convince them to read their favorite book.
The library selected Kenyan's letter to wrestler Mick Foley about Ray Bradbury's classic book Fahrenheit 451 to move on to the next round of competition in the grades 9-12 age group. Other submissions selected to move on for judging from the library were Sky Gustafson (grades 5-6) and Emmanuel Moran (grades 7-8).
In February, members of YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) judged the 192 entries they received and picked Kenyan as a regional winner. Kenyan wins a trip to East Rutherford, New Jersey, which is the site of this year's WrestleMania, and $2,000 for the FRVPLD to purchase materials for the teen department.
In East Rutherford, Kenyan will participate in the WrestleMania Reading Challenge Championships, in the hopes of winning ringside seats to WrestleMania 29. Each age group will answer questions about a book assigned to them in a game show format. Kenyan's age group, grades 9-12, was assigned to read This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel.
Kenyan and her mother, Jody, are looking forward to the trip later this week. Their hotel is two blocks away from Times Square, and they hope to have time for some sightseeing in between all the activities WWE has planned for them over WrestleMania weekend.
Best of luck to you, Kenyan!
See the complete list of 2012-13 WrestleMania Reading Challenge finalists here.