A local seventh-grader from Elmwood Franklin School is using his love of reading and technology to inspire other students to keep up with literacy during time spent at home due to the coronavirus.

Mason Kelly, 13, sits in his orange chair every day reading children's books to viewers on his YouTube channel, "Mason's Friendly Reads." After being inspired by one of his public speaking teachers, Mason said he just wanted to show kids of all ages that they aren't alone.

"Teachers, and people in the world in general, that are suffering this coronavirus are getting really frustrated and they don't have a lot to do so I decided to give them something to look up to," Kelly said.

With support from his mom, Mason has a new book to dive into every day. So far, he has done seven videos with stories we all know and love, like "Little Red Riding Hood."

"When he presented the idea to me, and told me that he felt bad for the kids once school had ended, they were doing distance learning, he felt that the little kids were going to be sad missing the reading and the things that they were getting," Lisa Bartolomei, Mason's mom, said.

Mason says he plans to continue to read stories online even after the coronavirus pandemic ends.