JSIS Takes Top Honors in 2026 Global Reading Challenge

After three rounds and multiple challenges made by participating teams, John Stanford International School (JSIS) emerged as the winner of the 30th Annual Global Reading Challenge, earning top honors in a spirited academic competition that celebrates the power and joy of reading. 

Competing as the Global Banananana Pancake Group, the JSIS team edged out nine other finalists teams with an impressive score of 115 out of 120 points, securing first place after months of reading, teamwork, and trivia-style competition. 

Members of the winning team are Forest S., Diego G., Paige O., Ellie H., Justine C., and Lenna M., all fourth graders at JSIS. The team was led by the school librarian, Kathleen Gillespie. 

Sponsored by the Seattle Public Library, the Global Reading Challenge is a long-running reading incentive program for fourth- and fifth-grade students enrolled in Seattle Public Schools. Students form teams, read a selected list of books, and put their knowledge to the test in a multi-round trivia competition. Over the course of three rounds, judges ask teams questions about each book—24 questions in total—challenging students’ comprehension, recall, and collaboration. 

Seattle School Board Director Vivian Song’s daughter, Lenna, was the co-captain of the winning team. She was excited that three schools from her region—Bailey Gatzert, Madrona, and Thurgood Marshall—made it to the finals. 

“As a school board director, with our elementary school reading goal, I am so grateful to the Seattle Public Library for this opportunity to make reading a shared and fun experience citywide,” Song said. “It’s a special event, and there is nothing like it. It brings all the elementary schools together, citywide.” 

This year’s book list spanned a wide range of voices, genres, and themes, including Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller, The Guardian Test by Christina Soontornvat, Christopher Columbus and the Taino People by Kate Messner, We Are Big Time by Hena Khan, Lunar Boy by Jessica Wibowo, Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros, Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson, and The School for Invisible Boys by David Shaun Hutchinson. 

The 2026 Global Reading Challenge saw 72 schools and more than 3,500 students participate across the district. Seven teams advanced to the finals: 

• Bailey Gatzert’s Dehydration (90 points) 
• Bryant’s Reader Defeaters (105 points) 
• Catharine Blaine’s Revolutionary Readers (90 points) 
• Concord’s The Winning 4th Graders (75 points) 
• John Stanford International’s Global Banananana Pancake Group (115 points) 
• Louisa Boren STEM K-8’s UHHHHHs (100 points) 
• Madrona’s Flaming Foxes (85 points) 
• Olympic View’s Rainbow Reading Rabbits (90 points) 
• Queen Anne’s Book Bunnies (110 points) 
• Thurgood Marshall’s Krazy Komodos (110 points) 

The competition not only highlights academic achievement, but also fosters a love of reading, teamwork, and critical thinking among students across the district. 

As this year’s champions, JSIS joins a long tradition of Global Reading Challenge winners—showcasing what students can accomplish when curiosity, commitment, and community come together around books. 

Congratulations to all 71 schools, more than 3,000 students and their librarians for a successful 2026 Global Reading Challenge!