BY: JACOB H

With 22,000 students participating in 39 Tucson and Mesa schools, this year's reading challenge promises to be bigger and better than before. How many books will be read, and who will win the $5,000 prize?

It's that time of year again! This month is the kick off for the Bookmans' Reading Challenge and excitement is building! This year we have 21 schools from the Marana, Flowing Wells, and Amphi school districts competing in Tucson and 18 Mesa public schools participating in Mesa. Each school's librarian is facilitating the Challenge and their enthusiasm for the program is awesome. My inbox has been flooded with emails and I'd like to share just a few with you.

"We are so excited to be using the Bookmans challenge! We are incorporating it into our "Love of Reading" month at Rio Vista Elementary School where I am librarian. We're using a western theme for our Love of Reading Month. We'll have on "cowboy duds" at the assembly, and will have a "Reading posse" to catch people reading!"
Stephanie Quimby-Greene, Rio Vista Librararian

"Thanks so much for including us in this wonderful opportunity! My clerk and I have been to every classroom to give the kids the information they need to get started on Monday. They're getting excited!"
Debbie Olson, Hawthorne Librarian

Participating schools in Tucson include: Richardson, Centennial, Hendricks, Homer Davis, Butterfield, Desert Winds, Picture Rocks, Twin Peaks, Roadrunner, Estes, Thornydale, Rattlesnake Ridge, Holaway, Donaldson, Copper Creek, Walker, Painted Sky, Keeling, Rio Vista, and Nash.

Participating schools in Mesa include: McArthur, Highland, Hale, Kerr, Frost, Madison, Sousa, Irving, Webster, Porter, Falcon, Jordan, Longfellow, Sirrine, Barbara Bush, Whittier, Hawthorne, and Ishikawa.

Stay tuned for more information about the Bookmans' Reading Challenge, including the total numbers of books read during the first month and the announcement of the top reading Kindergarten or 1st grade class. That class will win a trip to Bookmans where they will be able to pick out a free book. Last year over 100,000 books were read during the Challenge and we hope for even more this year. Good luck to all the schools!

For more about the Bookmans Reading Challenge:
Bookmans Reading Challenge 2008 Coming Soon!
Mile-Wide Smiles at Schumaker Elementary
Bookmans' Reading Challenge 2007 Winner!
Bookmans Reading Challenge 2007

For more information, please contact:
Jacob Harper, Bookmans Marketing Assistant
jacobh(at)bookmans.com or (520) 881-1744 x114