The fifth graders scan the nearly 30-page list of books, looking for new titles. Should they chose a Harry Potter book? Or maybe "My side of the mountain" by Jean Craighead George?

The students are taking part in the new Accelerated Reader program at East Elementary.

"The students chose a book from our list," said principal Brian Bronson, "And when they read it, they take a test on that book to see how well they understood it."

Rebecca Axtell, Jake Gearhart, Valerie DeSilva and Angela Nicikowski, all of Mrs. Abernethy's fifth-grade class, are only too happy to show off the program.

"I never used to like reading," Angela said. "But it's fun."

Jake scanned the list of books, looking for one he'd read recently. Valerie and Rebecca, having found books they knew, started taking the tests, answering questions on the computer about characters, events in the books and main ideas in the stories.

The program awards points for correct answers on the quizzes, and students can choose rewards or prizes based on the number of points they earn.