2025 Troncoso Reading Prizes

Please join us for the 2025 Troncoso Reading Prizes at Sergio Troncoso Branch Library in El Paso, Texas! Encourage high school and middle school students to read! I can't wait to meet the winners in December. Follow the link to enter. 

https://www.elpasolibrary.org/attend/troncoso-reading-pri/

Winners of the 2024 Troncoso Reading Prizes

I was so thrilled to meet the winners of the Troncoso Reading Prizes at the Sergio Troncoso Public Library. In the photo are Nathaniel Sanchez, Jorge Manjarrez, Celine Guevara, Ariya-Jade Rojas. Not in photo: Robert Guevara and Layla-Sol Burciaga.

These young readers read the most books from October 15 to December 3 and wrote 100-word essays on their favorite books. Congratulations!🎈 🎉🎊 I loved answering their questions about writing and education. What a great event. I also gave them signed copies of one of my books, the library staff created certificates for each winner, and they received the prizes below.

First, Second, and Third Place for students in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in middle school/high school; First, Second, and Third Place for students in 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in grade school/middle school.

First Place receives a $150.00 gift card, Second Place receives a $125.00 gift card, and Third Place receives a $100.00 gift card. All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded in the two categories every year.

 

El Paso Matters Book Club Meeting: Nobody's Pilgrims

What a great El Paso Matters Book Club meeting! We has 70-plus in attendance, according to the library staff, and I signed dozens of books and answered great questions about NOBODY’S PILGRIMS! Thank you, El Paso Matters, Literarity Book Shop, the staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library in El Paso, Texas. I love the interactions we had and the stories we shared with each other.

Winners of 2019 Troncoso Reading Prizes

Thank you Suzy Marrufo, branch manager, and the entire staff of the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library for your work on behalf of the annual Troncoso Reading Prizes. On December 18th, we held the ceremony to present the winners with certificates of achievement and gift cards from Barnes and Noble. I also gave each student a signed copy of one of my books.

The newly renovated Troncoso Branch Library looks beautiful. I arrived to an expanded parking lot, gorgeous light from the sunset coming in through the windows, and library patrons quietly reading books and magazines on the new furniture. The circulation desk was also redone. Bravo, City of El Paso, for investing in our local library! Even the reconstruction and widening of Alameda has been finished, so now the road to and from the library is also in great shape.

The 2019 winners of the Troncoso Reading Prizes are: Mirayah Arleene Flores and Anthony Morelos (1st place); Jocelyn Soria and Sofia Aguirre (2nd place); and Isabella Guerrero Cortes and Celine Guevara (3rd place).

I loved chatting with this year's winners and their parents about growing up in Ysleta, education, the importance of reading, and creating a reading culture at home. They asked many questions, and I was happy to have great conversations about how reading can foster concentration, self-worth, and a sense of self that helps you achieve your goals. The El Paso Public Library was where I learned to satisfy that intellectual hunger for ideas and stories, and I could see that hunger and focus in all of these students. Each of them reminded me of who I was many years ago. I love this community, and I will keep returning to Ysleta to award these prizes every year and to talk to families about how they can educate themselves and their children to gain a voice, to reach their goals, and to return and help others.


Every year, we award prizes for students who read the most books between September 15-November 15. The prizes are awarded only to students within the geographical area covered by the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library.

First Place receives a $125.00 gift card.
Second Place receives a $100.00 gift card.
Third Place receives a $75.00 gift card.

All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded.

Librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library register readers during the eligible period of the prizes. The library staff administers the prizes and makes final decisions on all the prizewinners.

If you have any questions or to register for the 2020 prizes, please contact the library staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907. Telephone: 915-212-0453.

Austin Public Library recommends A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son

A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son (Cinco Puntos Press) makes the recommended list by librarians at the Austin Public Library. I love public libraries, and on Wednesday (12/18) I'll be at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library in El Paso to give out the Troncoso Reading Prizes. So happy and grateful that librarians in Austin like my book. Support and fight for public libraries!

Austin Public Library: Recommended Titles

Interview in Lone Star Literary Life

A new interview in Lone Star Literary Life. Thank you, Michelle Newby Lancaster.

"The family values I learned in Ysleta: work until you are exhausted and get up and do it again the next day; help yourself by being disciplined and honest and good for your word, and then turn around and help others; be proud of your Mexican heritage, but don’t be afraid to change it, to make it better, to morph it into a new “Mexican American” heritage from the border. These are quintessentially the American values of immigrants who have come to the United States from different cultures and different nations."

Lone Star Literary Life: Interview with Sergio Troncoso

Winners of the 2018 Troncoso Reading Prizes

Thank you Derek Najera, branch manager, and the entire staff of the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library for your work on behalf of the annual Troncoso Reading Prizes. On February 20th, we held the ceremony to present the winners with certificates of achievement and gift cards from Barnes and Noble. I also gave each student a signed copy of one of my books.

This year we held the event at the Pavo Real Recreation Center next door, because the branch library is undergoing renovations, including tripling the size of their parking space, new carpeting, new circulation desk, and even a new paint job for the exterior. These changes are so exciting, and the renovated Troncoso Branch Library will reopen in May of 2019.

The 2018 winners of the Troncoso Reading Prizes are: Leo Rivera and Brianna Moreno (1st place), Marisol Ramirez and Judy Aguirre (2nd place), and Adrian Vizcarra (not in photo) and Daniel Owen (3rd place).

What impressed me about this year's winners was how friendly and outgoing and engaging all the students were. I talked about how important reading was for me, as a kid from Ysleta, and how essential public libraries were to improve my concentration, to apply the good family values I learned from my parents about working hard and pushing myself to get better. The El Paso Public Library was where I learned to satisfy that intellectual hunger for ideas and stories, and I could see that hunger and focus in all of these students. Each of them reminded me of who I was many years ago. I love this community, and I will keep returning to Ysleta to award these prizes every year and to talk to these families about how they can educate themselves and their children to gain a voice, to reach their goals, and to return and help others.

Every year, we award prizes for students who read the most books between September 15-November 15. (This was our regular schedule before the library renovation, and we will probably go back to it in 2019.) The prizes are awarded only to students within the geographical area covered by the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library.

First Place receives a $125.00 gift card.
Second Place receives a $100.00 gift card.
Third Place receives a $75.00 gift card.

All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded.

Librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library register readers during the eligible period of the prizes. The library staff administers the prizes and makes final decisions on all the prizewinners.

If you have any questions or to register for the 2019 prizes, please contact the library staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907. Telephone: 915-858-0905.

Winners of the 2017 Troncoso Reading Prizes

Thank you Maria Manigbas, branch manager, and the staff of the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library for administering the annual Troncoso Reading Prizes. Yesterday we presented the winners with certificates of achievement and gift cards from Barnes and Noble. The winners also received two signed copies of my books.

Below are photos with the winners, library staff, parents, and teachers who attended the event. I am so excited to do it again next year and to keep encouraging students in our community to read. We also discussed college preparation, strategies for applying, different colleges to consider, and how to prepare students to be thinking and getting ready for higher education. I loved all the questions the audience had, and I hope we can continue these conversations in the future with more community events.

Winners of 2017 Troncoso Reading Prizes:

5-8th grade category:
1st Place: Aaron Avila, LeBarron Elementary School
2nd Place: Savannah Vega, LeBarron Elementary School
3rd Place: Edgar Aragon, LeBarron Elementary

9-12th grade category:
1st Place: Amber Esperanza Madrid, Valle Verde Early College High School
2nd Place: Katya Neida Compian, Del Valle High School
3rd Place: Amy Ruby Diaz, Ysleta Middle School

Every year, we award prizes for students who read the most books between September 15-November 15. The prizes are awarded only to students within the geographical area covered by the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library.

First Place receives a $125.00 gift card.
Second Place receives a $100.00 gift card.
Third Place receives a $75.00 gift card.

All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded in the two categories every year.

Runners-up and students who read at least ten books also receive certificates of participation. Individual schools also receive certificates of appreciation. This year: LeBarron Elementary School, Lancaster Elementary School, Ysleta Middle School, Del Valle High School, Valle Verde Early College High School, and El Paso Academy East.

Librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library register readers during the eligible period of the prizes. The library staff administers the prizes and makes final decisions on all the prizewinners.

If you have any questions or to register next year, please contact the library staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907. Telephone: 915-858-0905.

Winners of 2016 Troncoso Reading Prizes

Yesterday the staff of the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library and I presented the winners of the 2016 Troncoso Reading Prizes with certificates of achievement and gift cards from Barnes Noble. The winners also received a signed copy of one of my books, and we read their individual essays on their favorite books. I was so proud of all the winners.

Here are some pictures with parents, teachers, and school administrators who attended the event at the library. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Winners of 2016 Troncoso Reading Prizes:

9-12th grade category:
1st Place: Alejandra Mendoza, Del Valle High School; 2nd Place: Anais Madrid, El Paso Academy; 3rd Place: Jasmine Saldana Madrid, Valle Verde Early College High School.

5-8th grade category:
1st Place: Natalie Rivas, Presa Elementary School; 2nd Place: Isabel Batista, LeBarron Elementary School; 3rd Place: Adenike Herrera, LeBarron Elementary School.

Every year, we award prizes for students who read the most books between September 15-November 15. The prizes are awarded only to students within the geographical area covered by the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library. A list of eligible schools is available at Troncoso Reading Prizes.

First Place receives a $125.00 gift card, Second Place receives a $100.00 gift card, and Third Place receives a $75.00 gift card. All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded in the two categories every year.

Each student also picks a favorite book from the books read and writes a short essay (100 word or less) on that book. We read those essays at the awards ceremony.

Librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library register readers during the eligible period of the prizes. The library staff administers the prizes and makes final decisions on all the prizewinners.

If you have any questions or to register next year, please contact the library staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907. Telephone: 915-858-0905.

Winners of 2015 Troncoso Reading Prizes

This week the staff of the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library and I presented the inaugural winners of the Troncoso Reading Prizes with certificates of achievement, gift cards from Barnes Noble, and gift bags from the El Paso Public Library.

The winners also received a signed copy of one of my books, and we read their individual essays on their favorite books. Here are some pictures with parents, teachers, and even principals who attended the event at the library. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Winners of 2015 Troncoso Reading Prizes:

9-12th grade category: 1st Place: Alejandra Mendoza, Del Valle High School, 2nd Place: Jasmine Saldana Madrid, Valle Verde Early College High School, 3rd Place: Amber Saldana Madrid, Valle Verde Early College High School.

5-8th grade category: 1st Place: Galilea Rodriguez, LeBarron Elementary School, 2nd Place: Jesus Martinez, Presa Elementary School, 3rd Place: Victoria Alarcon, LeBarron Elementary School.

A total of 90 students signed up for the inaugural Troncoso Reading Prizes, and these students read a remarkable 1,562 books. An overwhelming majority, 71 students, read five or more books between September 15-November 15. Many students read more than twenty books.

The prizes are awarded only to students within the geographical area covered by the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library. A list of eligible schools is available at Troncoso Reading Prizes.

First Place receives a $125.00 gift card, Second Place receives a $100.00 gift card, and Third Place receives a $75.00 gift card. All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded in the two categories every year.

The prizes are given to students who read the most books from September 15 to November 15 of each year. During this time period, students read a minimum of five books. The students who read the most books are the prizewinners. Each student picks a favorite book from the books read and writes a short essay (100 word or less) on that book. Prizewinners have their essays laminated and displayed next to their favorite book in the library.

Librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library use the Evance System to register readers during the eligible period of the prizes. The library staff administers the prizes and makes final decisions on all the prizewinners.

If you have any questions or to register next year, please contact the library staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907. Telephone: 915-858-0905.

Troncoso Reading Prizes

I have established the Troncoso Reading Prizes for children and young adults at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library in Ysleta (El Paso, Texas). These six prizes for grade school, middle school, and high school students in the Ysleta area will be given out every year for those who read the most books from September 15-November 15. The librarians at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library will administer the prizes. To read more about the Troncoso Reading Prizes and to download the rules for eligibility, please visit:

http://www.sergiotroncoso.com/library/index.htm

 

El Paso Public Library, Sergio Troncoso Branch Library, 9321 Alameda Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79907.