Twenty-eight Reading Ambassadors have hosted events in their states. Some of the events include:

The Scholastic Summer Challenge is still going strong, thanks in part to the 2009 Reading Ambassadors—38 Governors’ Spouses and one Governor who joined Scholastic in encouraging kids to read 4 or more books this summer.

• First Lady of Louisiana Supriya Jindal hosted seven events at schools and summer camps across the state—leading science experiments, discussing the importance of math and science in everyday life, and encouraging kids to keep reading this summer.

• First Lady of Kansas Stacy Parkinson hosted a reading event at Mueller Elementary School, a magnet school for aerospace and engineering, in Wichita. In recognition of the 40 year anniversary of the first moon landing, she read a passage from Neil Armstrong’s 1969 press conference.

• In Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn spoke to students during the graduation ceremony at Crispus Attucks Academy in Chicago.

In support of the Reading Ambassadors' involvement, Scholastic donated 500 books to 4th and 5th graders in each of the participating states. That’s a grand total of 19,500 books that kids will be taking home to read this summer!

For more information on the 2009 Reading Ambassadors and event photos, please visit our Reading Ambassadors Online Press Kit.