Throughout my childhood I would avoid books as much as possible simply because I never enjoyed reading like others did. When I did read, it would be because I discovered a really good series. Other than that I wouldn’t read because I never grew up with being read to, so I didn’t find it enjoyable. While most kids had the enjoyment of having their parents read to them at night, close to their parents and slowly drifting off to sleep, I never had that experience.
My parents didn’t teach me to speak English, let alone read it to me. So, while I was growing up it was a struggle for me to have the thrill of traveling in a magical school bus, saying Goodnight to the moon or even ignoring the man with the yellow hat. I wasn’t so deep into books, I never knew they could take you out of reality and let you escape your mind while you go on an adventure. When I started elementary school I started to dive into the world of stories and imagination.
I liked reading the easy books that let me be involved with the characters or had vivid pictures, as someone who isn’t one of the best readers or a reader with a big vocabulary, the pictures really got me and was the main reason I looked at books. In the elementary school I went to, there would always be a timed reading test at the beginning and the end of the school year to see where you were at and seeing if you have improved. On those tests I wouldn’t do as well as others on purpose just so | wouldn’t be stuck with the more advanced book group.
I never picked up a book unless it was assigned and even then I would only read through it as fast as I could, not picking up any of the important details or the secret jokes you would understand if you took the time and actually read the book. Every time my class went to the school library to pick a book to read I would never choose books that were around my reading level. I would always choose books that were below my level so it would be easier for me and had more pictures. Once I got to third grade 1 had this old but wise teacher, it seemed that she has helped many kids get on the right track and she was determined to help.
She rewarded kids who did well on test with candy so | would do the best I could and even though I wouldn’t do as well as the top kids in my class I would do a little above average. I was really food driven and she saw the potential I could achieve when I started to actually try, so when we got books, she taught me that reading could be fun. She told me that I need to find my type of book and she even helped me through that process. We would usually have an assessment on the book we’ve been reading. After a while I had to take the reading tests again to find my actual level and for the first time I was determined to do the best that I could.
I did really well with my test and my teacher told me I would enjoy any book that I chose. I wasn’t so sure what type of books I liked so it was a hard to go through all the genres and finding the ones that I liked. My teacher would give me a list of books to read, but I wouldn’t follow them because I didn’t want to be fully dependant on my teacher. I wanted to explore the book world by myself. I started reading books with chapters and I enjoyed it. I started taking my time and connecting with the protagonist and finding a way to dislike the antagonist.
Although I still wasn’t good with my English vocabulary I could get the main points of the story I was reading I tried exploring some more and that’s when I found the series Among The Hidden. I chose to read this series because the name was cool. I didn’t want to know any details so I would never read the back cover. When I finally started reading the book after hesitating a few days, I noticed that I couldn’t let the book go for some reason. Then I realized that I finally found a book that I really loved. Although the book wasn’t advanced like the other books others were reading.
At home I would sit on the couch and forget about the homework that was assigned to us that day, I would lose track of time and feel like I’m inside the book watching what I’m reading. I would feel like I’m living their life. I couldn’t stop reading that serious and then I finished that series I was so devastated that it had to end and I took a break for awhile and by awhile I mean at least 5 years, occasionally | would pick up some books that might look interesting or books everyone was reading, and that’s when I got to middle school.
During the first two years of middle school, I wouldn’t read books for fun because I came back into reality that I needed to do homework and that would take up much of my time. I would be assigned books that would put me to sleep like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry because it would have no action that I enjoyed. That’s when eighth grade happened. I saw this smart kid reading a book with a bland red cover with the title I am Number Four. At first I thought it was too advanced and boring so I didn’t bother reading it.
Until that summer I went to the library and saw the book under the “Most Read” section and I gave it a shot. I could see why that kid wouldn’t put that book down during class. It made me feel so many emotions I’ve never felt before over a book and I couldn’t stop reading the series, again I wouldn’t do my homework and my parents would get mad because I would read too much for once! I have recently just finished all the books in the series up to this point and I’m waiting to get my hands on the one that just recently came out.
I have read this series several times because I just thought it was so good! Although I’ve never been so interested in the books they assign in school, I learned to start reading at my level through my third grade teacher’s help. I was also able to find the joy of reading books that I liked, even though I didn’t have the early head start that other kids had. Although I am not a good reader or someone who can understand the text quickly I still enjoy reading books because they are usually interesting.