50,000 New Books on the way to Kentucky children

First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities.

To determine where books will be distributed, First Book launched a state-vs-state competition.

“What Book Got You Hooked?” invited readers everywhere to celebrate the power of unforgettable books from childhood by providing new books to the children who need them most. For the last two years, First Book asked visitors to their website to share the memory of the books that made them readers, then help get more kids hooked by voting for the state to receive 50,000 new books from First Book.

The votes are in!

In 2008, more than 250,000 votes were cast for to decide the winning state. After a hotly contested race with West Virginia and Nebraska, Kentucky won, claiming nearly 94,000 votes - 60,000 more than last year.

The books will be distributed in 2009 through the First Book National Book Bank to programs in Kentucky registered with First Book. Eligible programs must serve predominantly low-income children

Top 10 States!

1. Kentucky
2. West Virginia
3. Nebraska
4. Kansas
5. Oklahoma
6. Pennsylvania
7. Iowa
8. Indiana
9. North Carolina
10. Ohio

But what books got the most folks hooked on reading? Here's the list:

1. The Nancy Drew series
2. Green Eggs & Ham
3. Little House on the Prairie series
4. Charlotte's Web
5. Cat in the Hat
6. Little Women
7. The Boxcar Children
8. The Bobbsey Twins
9. Black Beauty
10. The Dick & Jane series
11. Go Dog Go!
12. To Kill a Mockingbird
13. Goodnight Moon
14. Gone With the Wind
15. Heidi
16. Anne of Green Gables
17. Curious George
18. Black Stallion
19. Harry Potter series
20. The Secret Garden
21. The Bible
22. The Pokey Little Puppy
23. The Giving Tree
24. A Wrinkle in Time
25. The Little Engine That Could
26. The Hobbit
27. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
28. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
29. The Hardy Boys series
30. Hop on Pop
31. Where the Sidewalk Ends
32. The Velveteen Rabbit
33. Are You There God? It's me Margaret.
34. The Babysitters Club series
35. Pippi Longstocking
36. Amelia Bedelia
37. The Hatchet
38. Superfudge
39. Ramona Quimby books
40. Cinderella
41. Island of the Blue Dolphins
42. The Wizard of Oz
43. The Outsiders
44. Winnie the Pooh
45. Treasure Island
46. Horton Hears a Who
47. Love You Forever
48. Old Yeller
49. Call of the Wild
50. Twilight