CHICAGO – Ten regional winners in grades 7-8 and 9-12 from across the United States have won a chance to compete in the WrestleMania® Reading Challenge National Finals in Houston Texas.  Five regional champions from grades 5-6 will also be guests at the finals which will be held at the Houston Public Library on Saturday April 4th.

Each regional winner won a trip for two to Houston tickets to the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania at Reliant Stadium on Sunday April 5th and $2 000 for their sponsoring library.  The WrestleMania Reading Challenge is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) a division of the American Library Association (ALA) and World Wrestling Entertainmentâ (WWEâ) with support from Mattel Inc.  More than 1 800 libraries participated in this year’s competition. 

Students in grades 7-8 and 9-12 will compete in a trivia contest to win the WrestleMania ringside tickets.  The finalists will answer questions posed by WWE Superstars and Divas to compete for the national title.

The 2009 regional winners are:

• Grades 9-12:  Christian Cervantes Houston TX; Gavin Marriott Edgemont SD; Angelica Kruth Munhall PA; William Haggerty Snow Hill NC; Karolina Flores El Monte CA.
• Grades 7-8: Stephanie Diaz Houston TX; Marissa Brann Corydon IN; Hansel Caraballo New York NY; Kyle Hoskins Louisville KY; Kayla Bell Los Angeles CA.
• Grades 5-6: Jose Castro Houston TX; Herlinda Aparicio Overland Park KS; Nicolas Covelli Stormville NY; Donte Edwards Alpharetta GA; Neomi Rose Chacon El Mirage AZ.

“We’re always looking for ways to spread the word that reading is fun and the best habit you can have and this challenge is one more way to do that ” said Sarah Cornish Debraski YALSA president. “The incentive—to participate in the WrestleMania Reading Challenge and possibly attend WrestleMania—is a highly motivating one and one which allows librarians to reach out to teens who may not already have a love of reading.”

“We expect the competition to be fierce with two national titles on the line ” said Gary Davis WWE Vice President Global Public Affairs. “It’s nerve-wracking for the finalists but with the participation of the WWE Superstars and Divas the kids all have fun which is what reading books should be all about.”

"Mattel is proud to partner with WWE on this terrific initiative " said Tim Kilpin General Manager boy girls and games for Mattel Brands and board member of the Mattel Children’s Foundation. "Literacy is a Mattel Children’s Foundation key priority and this Reading Challenge engages children through an exciting form of entertainment they love — WWE wrestling!"

For more than 50 years YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books films and audiobooks for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading viewing and listening go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists or contact the YALSA office by phone (800) 545-2433 ext. 4390 or e-mail yalsa@ala.org.

Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on its global activities go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/