Kids read over 150,000 pages in Lake Villa library contest

In the friendly “Top Ten Reader” competition that is part of the Lake Villa District Library’s youth summer reading program, Angela Rauch, a fifth-grade student at Prince of Peace, topped the list with 30,024 pages.

Here is the complete list:

Angela Rauch, fifth grade: 30,024 pages

Greta Rauch, seventh grade: 26,827 pages

Daisy Trentanelli, fifth grade: 18,345 pages

Coral Wang, sixth grade: 16,597 pages

Blake Mackin, sixth grade: 12,338 pages

AJ Amadio, seventh grade: 10,165 pages

Karla Gomez, eighth grade: 9,330 pages

Ryan Mount, fifth grade: 9,008 pages

Cate Nelson, fourth grade: 8,656 pages

Anish Naik, fifth grade: 8,593 pages

“Amazing. Absolutely amazing,” said Kerry Reed, head of the library’s youth services. “When we first conceived of this Top Ten challenge, we never imagined this kind of response. It’s even more impressive that it grows each year. These students are proving that books and reading are still of great interest to kids even in the face of our technology-driven culture.”

More than 1,500 children participated in the 2011 summer reading program. The theme was “A Midsummer Knight’s Read” — visitors to the Youth Services Department found themselves in a medieval kingdom filled with knights, dragons, castles and great reads. The Lake Villa District Library is at 1001 E. Grand Ave., Lake Villa.