Local nine-year-old reads over 1,000 books in 2022
BRISTOL, Ind. --- Saturday marks the closing chapter of 2022 for everyone, but for one 4th grader from Bristol, his year ends with the closing of thousands of chapters.
“Three days before New Year's, I had to read 40 more books,” says Wyatt Miller.
Wyatt may be the only nine-year-old in Michiana that can say he read 1,000 books in 2022. It started as a New Years resolution last year with the goal of reading 250 books, but in February, he had already reached his goal!
“He told me he was done, and I said 'Well I think maybe you should make your goal a little bit bigger than 250,'” says Devon Miller, Wyatt’s dad.
“Next was actually 300, and then I think I changed it to 500. Then, I did a thousand,” Wyatt explains.
He read all kinds of books in 2022, including short ones like Narwhal and Jelly books.
“One of the Narwhal and Jelly ones, if I read that one really fast, I can get that one done in 60 seconds.”
He read long ones too, like the entire Harry Potter series which he read three times!
“I did the first Harry Potter, and it took me like three days,” says Wyatt.
Some of his other favorite reads include the Mysterious Benedict Society series, the Explorer Academy series, and the Wind in the Willows.
However, Wyatt says nothing beats the books he read to his little brothers using silly voices.
“I can make like very deep or high or silly kind of voices for each character,” explains Wyatt.
His parents say they can’t be prouder of him, and they hope his achievement can inspire others to stick to their goals in the new year.
“I’m very proud of him setting his goals and achieving them, and the hard work and dedication that it took for him to do that,” Devon Miller shares. “It just blows my mind and makes me a very proud dad.”
“We really hope that Wyatt’s story can inspire other kids to set goals and to read, and just that anything is possible, and you can probably read more than you think,” says Alyssa Miller, Wyatt’s mom.
Speaking of the new year, Wyatt’s new goal wont’ be to read over 1,000 books, but to read longer books every day. When asked about his new goal, he says he plans to read “365 books, one book every day.”
Wyatt and his parents used Goodreads to track all the books he read in 2022.