Classic fictional characters came to life at Leonard Elementary Friday afternoon as the school received a visit from Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, one of the Lost Boys and the infamous pirate, Captain Hook.

They were there as part of a special assembly celebrating the end of March is Reading Month and honoring the students who participated.

All month long, the students were on a mission to help restore Tinker Bell’s voice by reading as much as they could, both in school and at home.

They had to track down 16 treasure chests, filled with Tinker Bell’s books, stolen by Captain Hook. They followed a variety of clues that led to the hidden chests scattered around the school, then read the books inside.

Students earned special gold coins by doing some extra reading at home each night.

Kevin Kindermann was the only Leonard student who found all 16 treasure chests and read every single night during the month of March.

The other top readers were Ethan Wardrop, Camden Ray, Scott Burgess, Cali McDevitt, Sierra Musial, Kate Schweitzer, Cody Musial, Clementine Collison, Gage Durst, Keersten Geibel, Madeline Smith and Sami Jo Yocum.

Students received prizes for their efforts.

All that hard work paid off as Tinker Bell’s voice was restored and Captain Hook made a shocking confession to students – he’s hooked on the written word.

“I, Captain Hook, am now a reader!” proclaimed the fearsome pirate, played by Leonard Principal Paul McDevitt. “From now on, I guess you can call me Captain Book.”

Arr, that’s a good one, matey.