Los Gatos Library accepts $500 donation from local student

The Los Gatos Library accepted a $500 donation last month from an unexpected source: fifth-grader Bradley Hall.

The Blossom Hill Elementary School student found his way to the cash via “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” author Jeff Kinney, who had been touring the country to promote his new book, hosting a game show to donate funds to local libraries and get kids excited about reading.

Bradley and his family, avid supporters of local bookstores, attended Kinney’s event at Bookshop Santa Cruz in October. Bradley was picked via raffle during the event and was called on stage to play a “Jeopardy”-style game about book trivia, said his dad Spencer Hall.

“Before we could even say anything, he was already running down the aisle in the auditorium,” Hall added.

The fifth-grader won the game against three other elementary-age students from the area. When he came back to the audience after the win, he was excited to see that some of his classmates and their families saw him participate in the event, Spencer Hall said.

“It was really extra-special that his friends were there with their parents and got to see Bradley do that,” added the proud dad. “He still talks about it to this day.”

When the Los Gatos Library heard of his success in the game and the donation that came with it, staff reached out to him thanking him for the donation and inviting him to the library to officially present a check to library staff.

At an event on April 15, Bradley, his family, library staff and Los Gatos Mayor Mary Badame turned out to celebrate the donation and congratulate Bradley for his efforts.

“Presenting the check to the library was cool because I got to meet the director of the library (Ryan Baker) and I also got to meet the mayor, and that was very cool,” he said.