As students headed back to classrooms for the 2026-27 school year, four Tennessee readers were celebrating a different kind of achievement: spending their summer immersed in books.¶
This year’s Tristar Reads winners combined to log more than 1,400 hours of reading this summer, including overall winner Wesley Martin, who averaged nearly 8 hours of reading each day.¶
What is Tristar Reads
Tristar Reads is an annual summer reading competition held by education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success. During the contest, students are encouraged to read books for at least 20 minutes a day during summer break. At the end of the summer, an elementary school, a middle school, a high school, and an overall winner are crowned, and each receives a $1,000 scholarship.¶
The initiative aims to stop the “summer slide,” when students can fall behind and lose anywhere from 1 to 3 months of learning during the break because they don't read. Since the competition began, more than 3 million minutes of reading have been logged. The Tennessee Firefly is a project of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.¶
Setting the Pace for the State
Overall winner Wesley Martin is a 12-year-old sixth-grade homeschool student from Hamblen County who logged 33,134 minutes of reading. Martin previously won the Elementary Student contest category.¶
Martin said setting ambitious goals helped motivate him throughout the summer.¶
“It means a lot,” Martin said. “I really enjoy reading, and it was fun to set a high expectation this summer. It feels good to reach that goal.”¶
His reading included both school assignments and books he chose for enjoyment, and he credits early mornings and spending much of his day reading for helping him reach the top spot.¶
Martin enjoys both fiction and nonfiction, noting that stories inspire his own writing while informational books help him learn about new subjects. His favorite summer title was The Last Chance Detectives: Canyon Quest by Jim Ware.¶
Young Readers Reach Big Goals
Eight-year-old Timothy Bell Jr., a third grader at Merrol Hyde Magnet School, earned the elementary school title after reading 8,172 minutes over the summer.¶
For Bell, the scholarship represents an early step toward his future.¶
“College costs a lot,” he said. “This is just the beginning of my scholarships.”¶
Bell said his love of reading comes from tackling long books and challenging himself to keep going. To maximize his reading time, he woke up early before his younger siblings and read whenever he could find quiet time.¶
His favorite book of the summer was Eragon by Christopher Paolini, which introduced him to a new fantasy series.¶
Hours of Dedication
Middle school winner Srinehal Thumu, an eighth grader at West Wilson Middle School, accumulated 21,063 minutes of reading.¶
He described winning as validation of the effort he invested.¶
“It’s a testament to how hard I worked over the summer,” he said. “This achievement makes me feel very proud.”¶
Much of Thumu’s reading centered on comic books and the Harry Potter series. His favorite title was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which he experienced through both the audiobook and print versions.¶
A Repeat Champion Moves Up
For Tallen Haag, a 15-year-old homeschooled sophomore, this year marked another milestone. With 22,950 minutes logged, Haag captured the high school division title after previously winning in other age groups.¶
“I am ecstatic to have now won once in each division,” Haag said. “As a high schooler, I’ve started to feel the burden of college tuition looming. I’m very grateful for this scholarship, which will help me earn a degree with less stress and debt.”¶
Haag balanced educational reading with fiction, rewarding herself with novels after completing more intensive material. She also kept a book close at hand while commuting or waiting between activities.¶
Her favorite summer read was Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, a mystery he praised for its unique plot and suspense.¶
