Denver teen, Jesus Reyes, age 17, has been selected among hundreds of entries as a regional winner of YALSA’s (Young Adult Library Services Association) WrestleMania Reading Challenge, and in March he will travel to Miami to compete for the championship which could get him ringside seats to Wrestlemania XXVIII. Reyes, an avid fan of professional wrestling, is a customer at Denver Public Library’s Athmar Park Branch Library.

Denver Public Library will be receiving a $2000 prize from World Wrestling Entertainment, on behalf of Reyes’ win. The prize money will be used to purchase new materials for the Athmar Branch.

Reyes, who is a student at Colorado Academy, says, “One of the reasons I love to read is because it gives me access to all the knowledge that is out there and it opens up so many doors. I have always thought it would be exciting to work in the entertainment business somehow (movies business, music, etc.). For the past two summers I borrowed several books from the library that explore careers in the movie and music fields.” He says that if it weren’t for books, he would never have the opportunity to explore different careers or read about things that interest him.

Reyes also says that he likes watching wrestling because it helps him relieve stress. “It is impossible to describe the level of excitement I get from watching wrestling.”

About YALSA’s WrestleMania Challenge:

YALSA’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge is a national program in which students pledged to read five books or graphic novels between Teen Read Week™ 2011, Oct. 16-22, and WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, 2012. The program, sponsored by World Wrestling Entertainment and YALSA, encourages teens and tweens to read during Teen Read Week and beyond. Teens compete to earn prizes, including a trip to WrestleMania, and money for their library.

Twenty regional winners in three grade categories from the U.S. and Canada each has won a trip to Miami; with winners in grades 5-12 competing in the WrestleMania Reading Challenge National Championships on March 31, 2012 to win ringside tickets to WrestleMania XXVIII. Their libraries will each receive a $2,000 prize from WWE. Each Teen finalist was given a copy of Rikers High, by Paul Volponi to read in preparation for the final competition which will include answering questions about the book.

“We are very proud of Jesus,” says Kristin Grabarek Roper, Library Program Associate. “He is a great role model for teens throughout Denver.”

Senior Librarian, Nikki Van Thiel adds, “Studies show that teens that have regular reading habits, are better readers. And, one of the most important ways teens acquire the habit is by watching adults they respect.”

Being around adults who read can counteract the latest statistics from The Nation’s Report Card, which indicates that in homes across America the number of different types of reading materials has decreased, and a smaller percentage of seventeen-year-olds saw adults reading in their homes.

Some of the ways parents and caregivers can encourage reading at home are:

• Visit the local public or school library with your teen to attend an event or to check out books, graphic novels, audiobooks and other library materials.
• Set aside time each night for the family to read.
• Give books, audiobooks or magazine subscriptions to your teen as a gift or reward.
• Share your favorite book with your teen.
• Surf the Internet with your teen to learn about new books or authors. A good place to start is www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.
• Join a book discussion group at the school or public library.