Third graders from 17 schools in the Edmonds School District were among the estimated 5,300 students who participated in the Sno-Isle Libraries Third Graders Read Together program this year.

According to a Sno-Isle news release, if you love reading, your passion for books probably began by the time you were in third grade. Children who are proficient readers by the end of third grade are more likely to succeed in their future education and develop a lifelong appreciation for reading. Since 2013, Sno-Isle Libraries has partnered with schools to support this important milestone.

Sno-Isle Libraries’ Third Graders Read Together program fosters a love of reading and provides books that are nominees for the Washington Library Association’s OTTER Award, the library system said. The OTTER Award motto is “books kids like, not books adults think kids should like.” The Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation supports the program by providing 3,100 OTTER books to schools and classrooms throughout the region.

Voting for their favorite book was one of many fun activities for participating third graders. The winning OTTER book for 2024 is My Kingdom of Darkness (Pet Rule, Book 1) by Susan Tan, illustrated by Wendy Tan Shiau Wei.

Sno-Isle Libraries also hosted two online author and illustrator events in association with this program. Andrea J. Loney, author of Blast Off!, was one of the featured speakers. The other was Drew Brockington, author and illustrator of Planetary-yum.

Since its creation, the Third Graders Read Together program has grown from 29 to 75 schools.