The iRead program, coordinated at the library by Youth Librarian Harriet Gilman, is in its tenth year and boasts a 68 percent participation rate among students grades one to eight, said one event official.

District teachers read books. Beatrice Jones read in English and in Spanish. Students were photo-shopped against a green screen, into popular book fronts like "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." Little kids made bookmarks; storyteller Linda Gorham presented two 45-minute shows and several children's authors autographed their books.

But most of all, kids just read. Curled up in chairs, propped up on cushions, and parked in secluded corners of the cavernous library, North Shore elementary students were in a big race to sit down, relax and read.

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