FREELAND, MI — To say Matthew Staley is a big reader is an understatement.

The 11-year-old fifth grader at Freeland Elementary School has amassed about 2,000 Accelerated Reader Points, including more than 770 this school year.

“We can’t keep up with him,” said Media Center Specialist Pat DeLong. “He keeps me busy. It’s quite a feat for him.”

Accelerated Reader is a program where students read books and take quizzes, earning points. Books are rated with different points depending on their difficulty.

This year, Delong said, Matthew has taken 122 quizzes with 96 percent accuracy.

At Freeland Elementary, students get their name in a drawing for a $5 gift card for every five points they earn.

“I earned so many points they just gave the card to me,” Matthew said with a grin.

It started in kindergarten. At that age, Matthew was reading chapter books and left with a third-grade reading level.

Some of his favorite authors include Rick Riordan, Mike Lupica and Matt Christopher — “He’s awesome,” Matthew added.

Currently, Matthew said he is reading Eragon, The Hobbit and Chronicles of Narnia.

Although sports and fantasy are a few of his favorites, DeLong said there is no pattern to what Matthew reads.

Matthew has a Nook and about two hundred books at home, along with a library card at the Thomas Township Library, said his mother, Monique Staley of Freeland.

She’s had to take efforts to keep Matthew from reading all night, including taking away his book light and glasses until he falls asleep. He can’t have his Nook either — she caught him reading it underneath his blankets.

For his birthday, Matthew said he wants Barnes & Noble gift cards to add more books to his collection.

But it’s not all reading all the time. Matthew, an energetic and bright boy, is a Cub Scout and enjoys sports, especially baseball, football and hockey.

He listens to the Detroit Tigers games every night on the radio, Monique Staley said.

Matthew's ambitions include being an author or a structural engineer like his father, Michael Staley.

“We’re very proud of him,” his mother said.

Follow MLive reporter Lindsay Knake on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com.