Amarii Simpson, 9, was sitting up front, a copy of My First Dictionary on the table before him in a room at the McVeigh Recreation Center at D and Ontario Street in Kensington.

Why was he reading a dictionary?

He gave a “duh” look in response to the question.

“So I can learn more words!”

Amarii is on the ball in other ways, too. A fourth-grader at Elkin Elementary School, just a few blocks from McVeigh, he is quick to announce that he gets all As and Bs and scored proficient on the PSSA — not just in reading, but in math, too. And the veteran Recreation Department camper also knows that the reading breaks and other activities, like the trips to the library that punctuated this summer at McVeigh, are something new.

Read the full story on The Notebook.