FORKED ISLAND, LA - While many students spent their summer break glued to their screens, 12-year-old Leah-Kate Harrington was busy turning pages and lots of them.
The seventh grader at Forked Island E. Broussard Elementary School reached an extraordinary milestone, reading more than one million words over the summer.
“I always loved reading. My mom’s a big reader,” Harrington said. “So, I’ve just been reading ever since I could read in a library. I kept on reading, I kept on reading and I didn’t even notice that I was reading a million words all summer.”
Harrington said she enjoys reading historical fiction, realistic fiction, and anything related to history, especially American history. Her summer reading list included popular series such as The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and The Magic Tree House.
At just 12 years old, her passion for reading is already setting her apart from her peers. But Leah-Kate isn’t taking all the credit.
She attributes much of her success to her reading teacher, who also happens to be her mother.
“She’s a really good student,” said Renee Harrington, English teacher at Forked Island E. Broussard Elementary. “She likes to participate. She helps her classmates. If no one wants to answer, I know I can count on her.”
As for what’s next?
“Two million!” Leah-Kate said with a smile.
