New York Yankees Celebrate Top Readers at the New York Public Library’s Annual Summer Reading Awards Ceremony

Yankees Centerfielder Curtis Granderson to meet on the field with NYPL’s  top Summer Readers in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, to discuss the importance of reading  

August 29, 2012— The top children and teen readers of The New York Public Library's Summer Reading program will be honored at Yankee Stadium today at 12:30pm, shortly before the Yankees' game against the Toronto Blue Jays.  The seven children represent participants from each of the three boroughs served by NYPL - the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.

The readers will be welcomed onto the field by Yankee outfielder, Curtis Granderson - an ardent supporter of The New York Public Library – marking his third season supporting NYPL’s Summer Reading program.

“We’re grateful for Curtis’s participation and support in our annual Summer Reading initiative and are sure that his love of books will help him hit even more Grand Slams this year,” says Jack Martin, Director for Public Programs and Lifelong Learning at the New York Public Library. 

Open to over 1.1 million students in New York City, Summer Reading is the New York Public Library’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. The library also provides extensive programming at the libraries during Summer Reading. 

The New York Public Library’s top children and teen Summer Readers for 2012 are as follows:

The Bronx: Michael Pineda (age 7) logged 511 library materials from the Van Cortlandt Library; Confidence Njoku (age 17) logged 788 library materials from Edenwald Library

Manhattan: Siblings Decklan Spencer (age 9) and Brownwyn Spencer (age 6) logged 407 and 190 library materials respectively from the Battery Park Library; Ange Kandolo (age 14) logged 1014 library materials from the Macomb’s Bridge Library

Staten Island: Isabella Policarpo (age 6) logged 344 library materials books from the Todt Hill Library; Ron Frazier (age 17) logged 118 library materials from the Port Richmond Library. 

The New York Public Library’s Summer Reading Program is generously funded by HBO; New York Yankees Foundation; Hermione Foundation; The Rona Jaffe Foundation; Target; 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; Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation; Pine Tree Foundation of New York, Inc.; American Girl; May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.; and anonymous donors.