Whiz Kids: Local READ Celebrities, Daniel Netz and Katherine Knop

Katherine Knop and Daniel Netz are local celebrities for very good reason. If you haven’t been to the recently, Katherine and Daniel’s photographs are proudly hanging for all to see. They were chosen to be a part of the encouraging members of Sierra Madre to, you guessed it.

Katherine, 13, is a member of the Sierra Madre Girls Softball Association. Daniel, also 13, plays for the Sierra Madre Little League’s Dodgers.

The library is proud to have local youth represented in the campaign. Deputy Director of Library Services Polly Bonnett said the posters have been well received from both kids and parents.

“We wanted to partner with an organization that’s highly regarded in the community,” Bonnett said. She cited the Little League and Softball Association with each having a long history and popularity in the city, calling it a “great partnership,” featuring not only the talented kids but also these organizations on the READ posters.

Katherine is a student at Holy Family School in South Pasadena. She is an extremely talented athlete and the recipient of the Sierra Madre Girls Softball Association Twelve & Under All Stars award. 

Daniel, who is homeschooled, has been a member of Sierra Madre Little League since age five.

These two whiz kids don’t just play the sport for fun, they’ve learned life lessons from being on the team.

"Little League has been a lot of fun and has created great friendships, but it has [also] taught me a lot about sportsmanship and character," Daniel said.

Katherine and Daniel were chosen to represent Sierra Madre’s Softball Association and Little League teams to refute the myth that athletes are just into playing their sport.

Katherine, 13, chose a book recommended by her parents, “The Hunger Games,” the second in a series of futuristic thrillers by best-selling author Suzanne Collins. This series has captivated the imaginations and made devoted readers of millions of young adults.

Daniel selected “The Blitz,” stories of World War II, by Henry Brook, and happily discovered how fascinating and rewarding reading historical non-fiction can be.

“I chose "Blitz" as my favorite book because it shows what hardships people endured during the bombing raids in World War II and the many sides of common people fighting for life,” Daniel said. He recommends this book because of the “courage [firefighting rescue teams] expressed in the face of death just to save a strangers life.”

Youth Services Librarian Meegan Tosh confirmed that the response to having Katherine and Daniel chosen as READ celebrities has been positive, especially from youth.

“The kids have been excited to see local ballplayers featured in the campaign,” she said.

Daniel, who is entering the eighth grade, is halfway towards the becoming an honored Eagle Scout. He has earned over 40 merit badges in just two years. Among his hobbies are reading, playing electric guitar and drums as well as fine scale WWII aircraft modeling with his father and brother.

Bonnett said the choice of these two Whiz Kids has hopefully had a positive impact on the children who frequent the library.

“We want to reach out to all community,” she said, regarding their choices of who to feature on the campaign posters.

Bonnett informed Patch that the next READ campaign will feature members of the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team. Look for that to come out on July 1, 2011.