A Killeen ISD student recently represented the district on a statewide stage, meeting and interviewing an award-winning author during the Texas Bluebonnet Award ceremony held at the Texas Library Association’s annual conference in Houston.
Emma Wyatt, a sixth-grade student at Eastern Hills Middle School, was selected to represent Killeen Independent School District and Texas Library Association District 3 at the prestigious Texas Bluebonnet Award Luncheon. As part of the event, she interviewed author Minda Dentler, whose book The Girl Who Figured It Out received this year’s honor.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award is one of the most distinguished children’s choice literary honors in the United States. Each year, students across Texas read a curated list of 20 books and vote for their favorite. From hundreds of students statewide, only 10 — one representing each TLA district — are selected to participate in the official award ceremony.
As the District 3 representative, Wyatt conducted a pre-presentation interview with Dentler, whose memoir chronicles her journey as the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship.
Wyatt was nominated by her campus librarian and selected by a Texas Library Association committee to represent District 3, which spans 30 counties across Central Texas, from South Austin to the Waco and Hillsboro area. An avid reader, Wyatt has demonstrated a strong commitment to literacy through years of participation in the Bluebonnet reading program, beginning in elementary school.
“This is an incredible honor as the Texas Bluebonnet Award is one of the most prestigious children’s choice literary awards in the state,” said Keyetta Mathis, librarian at Eastern Hills Middle School, who attended the event with Emma and her family.
"I had an amazing experience at the conference! I loved getting to meet the winning author and talk to her,” the sixth-grader said. “I'm really thankful to have been picked to represent TLA District 3."
This recognition, Mathis said, showcases student voice, literary engagement and the impact of library programs.