For the first time in its three-year history, two readers visited every one of the 63 participating stores in the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association's annual Bookstore Passport Game.
Throughout the month of April, winners Matt and Jessica, who asked that their last names not be released, spent their weekends visiting every store on the game's map, including Sundance Books and Music in Reno, Nev. They returned their gameboards to their neighborhood bookstore, Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, Calif., and received the first-prize reward of a $100 gift certificate to the bookstore of their choice. They also received more than $500 in books delivered to their home.
Chris Hsiang of San Francisco took second place; he earned 65 points while visiting participating stores on his bike and covered 216 miles in his "Tour de Pages." Third place went to 11-year-old Pete Navratil, and Kaitlyn Goodwin of San Lorenzo took fourth place.
A 10-year-old named Gianmarco Cistaro, son of bookseller Melissa Cistaro, also received the "super bookstore lover prize," for visiting 37 bookstores and earning 52 points. These were the fourth highest totals in the entire game and the highest number of points earned by a child.
Calvin Crosby, NCIBA's executive director, noted that a large number of families participated this year. He said: "When all bookstores work together with the Passport Game, we're really able to create something special for readers and this way we get to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day all month long in April too."