Eastvalley Student a Reading Whiz

Mason Favro, a 5th grade student at in East Cobb, has achieved the distinction of reading all 89 Newberry Award books. It is believed that Mason is the first Cobb County student to achieve this goal. 

The Newberry Medal was established in 1921 and is awarded annually by the Association of Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, for the most distinguished children’s book published the previous year.

The winning book for 2011 is "Over Manifest Moon" by Clare Vanderpool. To encourage students to read, Eastvalley sponsors a program known as the Eastvalley Reading Club. At the end of each semester the school hosts a celebratory breakfast for all the students who achieved a point threshold appropriate for their grade level.

In addition, the school honors students who pass over ten Newberry books with an Accelerated Reader test score of 80% at an end-of-year assembly. This year the school will honor nineteen students, the highest number of winners ever. 

Not to be satisfied with only reading 40 Newberry Award books (the cumulative goal for his grade level), Mason embarked upon a challenge from his father, Christopher Favro, to read all 89 award winners. Of course, the equal challenge was locating all 89 books. Mason says his favorite is the very first book he read, "The Story of Mankind."

Mason’s father, while acknowledging that this accomplishment is remarkable, believes that “it could not have been done without the support of the school’s library staff. They have been a source of encouragement and enthusiasm for Mason throughout his journey.” To honor both Mason and the school, Favro and his wife are in the process of donating a new collection of Newberry titles in Mason’s name. 

“Mason is a role model for other students. He set a goal and persevered until he accomplished that goal. It is an honor to have such a hardworking student at Eastvalley Elementary,” says Principal Karen Wacker.