photo Maddie Nordtvedt holds her plaque recognizing her recent outstanding achievements in the Accelerated Reader program at Wallowa Elementary School.

Maddie Nordtvedt, a fourth-grade student at Wallowa Elementary, was awarded a plaque for her outstanding accomplishments in Accelerated Reader (AR), a computer-based reading comprehension program that keeps a record of the books read by each student.

Each book is assigned a point value based on reading level and difficulty. As of Feb. 4, Maddie had read 81 books, accumulating 565 AR points for the year.

The daughter of Tom and Beccy Nordtvedt of Wallowa, Maddie is a good student in all academic areas. She and her family moved here from Monmouth, and this is her first year attending Wallowa Elementary. She recently participated in school basketball. She’s also active in the community, playing the part of the vain and sassy Josie Pye in the Mid-Valley Theatre production of “Anne of Green Gables.”

Fantasy is Maddie’s favorite literary genre. Her favorite book this year was “The Deathly Hallows,” book 7 of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Maddie says she enjoys reading because it gives her something to do and makes her feel calm.