The New York Yankees Celebrate NYPL’s Top Summer Readers at Yankee Stadium

 Thurs., Aug. 25, New York City -- Children and Teen top Summer Readers of The New York Public Library's Summer Reading program were recognized on the field and Jumbotron today at Yankees Stadium, shortly before the Yankees' game against the Oakland Athletics. 

Yankees Centerfielder Curtis Granderson met on the field with the top Summer Readers from NYPL's Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island libraries, discussing the importance of reading, baseball. Granderson also signed baseballs and posed for photos with the Summer Readers. 

Almost 300,000 people participated in this year's Summer Reading program in New York City. Of the 283,374 participants, the New York Public Library had 104,657 Summer Readers, the largest city-wide. Brooklyn Public Library had 94,294 participants; Queens Library had 84,423 participants. 

Here is the list of NYPL's top children and teen Summer Readers:

the Bronx: Michael Pineda (age 6) logged 262 library materials from the Van Cortlandt Library; Khadija Bhuyian (age 16) logged 827 library materials from the Westchester Square Library

Manhattan: Christian Rosario (age 8) logged 264 library materials, from the Jefferson Market Library; Susan Ng (age 16) logged 348 library materials and Devlynn Chen (age16) logged 154 library materials from the Seward Park Library

Staten Island: Grace Rovinsky (age 5) logged 73 library materials books from the Todt Hill-Westerleigh Library; Jessica Shaw (age 14) logged 87 library materials from the Richmondtown Library 

The NYPL also invited Brooklyn Public Library to the game to celebrate Brooklyn's Summer Readers. Representing Brooklyn were the two winners from the Library's Baseball Book Review Contest: Brian Mansell, age 11 and Warren Tobin, age 14.

Summer Reading is NYPL's largest annual program for children and teens. It helps prevent "summer slide", the effect of school children often falling behind in reading skills during the summer vacation months. NYPL also provides programming at the libraries during Summer Reading. 

Bank of America is the lead partner of The New York Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, which is also generously funded by HBO; New York Yankees Foundation; The Rona Jaffe Foundation; Target; Mary McConnell Bailey; Alyce W. Toonk; Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services; American Girl; Anonymous; and the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.

Contact: Gayle Snible | 212.592.7008 | gaylesnible@nypl.org