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Nadia Almahdi, nalmahdi@scholastic.com, (212) 343-6635

Twenty Schools to Appear in Scholastic Book of World Records for Most Minutes Read

New York, NY – September 18, 2013 – Kids around the globe have a reason to celebrate: they set a new world record for summer reading! As part of the Scholastic Summer Challenge, a free program designed to keep kids reading throughout the summer months when school is out, kids representing all 50 states and 30 countries read and logged an impressive 176,438,473 minutes, breaking last year’s world record of 95,859,491 minutes. In addition to logging their minutes, children participated in weekly reading challenges, earned virtual rewards and contributed to their school’s overall minutes. Of the 4,284 schools that participated, Jackson Elementary School in McAllen, TX ranks as the #1 school for logging the most minutes, and wins a visit from Dav Pilkey, author of the bestselling Captain Underpants series.

The Top 20 schools that read and logged the most minutes will be listed in the 2014 Scholastic Book of World Records, which will be available through the Scholastic Reading Club, Scholastic Book Fairs, and book stores nationwide; each of these schools will also receive a personalized plaque.

“We are extremely impressed with the amount of reading kids did to help set an outstanding new world record for summer reading,” said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. “Now that these kids have proved they have reading stamina and can read for many minutes, we encourage them to continue to read independently throughout the school year so they are better prepared to meet rigorous standards and can continue to find books they love.”

The Top 20 Schools in the 2013 Scholastic Summer Challenge are:

1. Jackson Elementary School, McAllen, TX, 6,333,482 (minutes read)
2. Sun Valley Elementary School, Monroe, NC, 6,042,663
3. Dovalina Elementary School, Laredo, TX, 5,359,066
4. Liberty Park Elementary School, Greenacres, FL, 4,206,222
5. Hill Intermediate School, Houston, TX, 3,039,434
6. St. Aloysius School, Baton Rouge, LA 2,933,169
7. Odom Elementary School, Houston, TX, 2,771,182
8. Hunter’s Creek Elementary School, Orlando, FL, 2,565,217
9. Flora Ridge Elementary School, Kissimmee, FL, 2,548,754
10. Timber Trace Elementary School, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 2,288,345
11. Reedy Creek Elementary School, Kissimmee, FL, 2,238,484
12. Rayford Road Intermediate School, Humble, TX, 2,183,113
13. Oakridge Middle School, Clover, SC, 2,122,819
14. Worsham Elementary School, Houston, TX, 1,898,592
15. Newell Elementary School, Allentown, NJ, 1,885,364
16. Coral Reef Elementary School, Lake Worth, FL, 1,673,656
17. Stuart Public School, Stuart, NE, 1,639,619
18. Raymond Academy, Houston, TX, 1,623,279
19. Thompson Elementary School, Houston, TX, 1,604,302
20. Riverview Elementary School, Saratoga Springs, UT, 1,495,565

To see the list of the Top 100 schools, visit www.scholastic.com/summer.

The Scholastic Summer Challenge kicked off its seventh year on May 6, 2013. Kids from around the world were invited to log their reading minutes with the Scholastic Reading Timer mobile app or online at scholastic.com/summer. Throughout the summer, kids could visit their profile page to check their personal reading stats, watch book trailer videos, enter sweepstakes, and earn digital rewards from the prize center.

To further the message about the importance of summer reading in the U.S. and increase access to books within their communities, 42 Governors’ Spouses and three Governors joined the Scholastic Summer Challenge as Reading Ambassadors. On behalf of their participation, Scholastic donated 500 books to each Reading Ambassador’s school of choice (for a total of 22,500 books) so that students in their states could take home books and read over summer vacation.

For the fourth year in a row, WordGirl™ served as the national "Ambassador of Summer Reading," for the Scholastic Summer Challenge. She adopted summer reading as her cause, encouraging kids to read books over the summer because reading introduces new words, and new words, in turn, make better readers.

Teachers and students are now invited to join READ 100,000 on the Scholastic website at www.scholastic.com/minutes, where students can continue logging their minutes read during the school year. READ 100,000 helps schools strengthen students’ reading skills by motivating kids to read as part of a school team and recognizing their achievements. The school-wide goal is to READ 100,000 minutes or more! For more information about Scholastic, please visit our media room.