Photo by Samantha Bengtson
Library Media Supervisor Anita Aguilar, top AR student Hernan Valdez and Assistant Principal Felipe Maturino
SOLEDAD — Hernan Valdez is the top Accelerated Reader (AR) in the Soledad Unified School District.
Valdez, an eighth-grade student, celebrated his achievement March 15 along with three of his friends. The group was able to watch a movie and enjoy lunch in the library.
“AR is the points you get for taking quizzes on books,” Valdez said.
Valdez received 1,355.3 points by reading books he found at Main Street Middle School and Soledad High School library. Valdez said he enjoyed reading the “Wheel of Time” book series by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson and Chuck Dixon.
According to Valdez, “The Wheel of Time” series is about a character named Rand al’Thor whose town is attacked by dark creatures.
“What I like about reading is the story, plot and characters are very good, and I can’t stop reading until I finish the book,” Valdez said.
Valdez’s favorite type of book is fantasy, and he enjoys reading “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling.
“At the beginning of the year I didn’t want all these points,” Valdez said. “Then I got more into the reading and thought I should get closer to 1,000 so I could beat the school record.”
Before Valdez beat the school record it was 800 points. He would still like to read the “Trials of Apollo” by Rick Riordan and is waiting for the next book to come out later this spring.
