Mayor Donna Deegan recognized nine of Jacksonville’s top young readers Monday during a special ceremony at Southeast Regional Library, honoring students whose dedication to reading exemplifies the goals of the city’s River City Readers initiative.

The honorees, ranging in age from 4 to 17, were selected from public, private and charter schools and homeschool programs across the city — a reflection of the River City Readers program’s reach into every corner of Jacksonville’s diverse community.

“Every child who picks up a book is building a better future, both for themselves and for our city,” said Mayor Deegan. “These young readers inspire all of us, and I am proud to celebrate their love of learning through River City Readers.”

The honorees recognized at Monday’s ceremony have logged the most reading minutes in the Beanstack app for this phase of the challenge. They are:

•  Leo Hallabrin, age 4 — Neptune Beach Elementary School

•  Shreya Rao, age 5 — Private/Charter School

•  Nile Collins, age 8 — Holiday Hill Elementary School

•  Prince Collins, age 9 — Holiday Hill Elementary School

•  Vincent Lopez, age 8 — Jacksonville Heights Elementary School

•  Luke Griffin, age 10 — Homeschool

•  Meredith Griffin, age 11 — Homeschool

•  Philip Pinkerton, age 15 — Homeschool

•  Austin Patterson, age 17 — Frank Peterson Academies

River City Readers is Mayor Deegan’s signature literacy initiative, designed to foster a love of reading among Jacksonville’s youth and expand access to books and educational resources for families citywide. The program includes the River City Readers Bookmobile, which brings books and programming directly to neighborhoods across Duval County. Recently, the program has also expanded to include the Mayor’s Book Club, made possible by the Gate Foundation and PNC Bank. The program gives a free new book each month to every four-year-old in Jacksonville.

For more information about the River City Readers initiative, visit: www.jacksonville.gov/rivercityreaders.

For more information about the Mayor’s Book Club, visit: Jacksonville FL Registration - Ferst Readers.