The Beginning of Sleepless Nights and Countless Library Trips

 
          I don't recall exactly how I first learned to read. Most of my childhood memories just come in bits and pieces. I assume I learned the basics from my elementary school teachers. I started out reading some small books such as The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, and then I progressed to reading the Junie B. Jone’s series by Barbara Park. I found myself always wanting to read, and whenever I finished a book, I would crave another. I guess you could say I fell in love with reading. Although I personally loved to read, most of my peers detested it. I could never quite grasp why so many people hated to read.
             I constantly had my nose stuck in a book whenever I had the chance. I loved being able to escape my own little world for a little bit while I focused on my book. It was like for a short while, I was away from my own life and engrossed in the characters life. I loved the feeling of being able to forget everything, even if it was just for a very short amount of time. Reading helped me get through a lot of stressful times.

I remember I would always beg my mother to take me to the public library or to the book store in Memphis so I could get a new book to read. For several years I would always get books for my birthday and for Christmas, and I never complained. Now I have a bookshelf in my room filled with books that I’ll probably never read again. I even got a kindle one year for Christmas. I have tons of books on my kindle considering it’s much easier to buy them online than to go to a book store in Memphis.           

            My school required us to read books and test on them in a program called AR, or accelerated reader. AR was one of my strong points all during school. I could go through two or three books in a week and test on them and make a perfect or near perfect score. I could easily comprehend everything that I read, so accelerated reader was one of the easiest things about middle school. I never understood why so many people hated to read and test on books for accelerated reader.

In school I was always a few  levels above my grade level. I remember reading all the books in the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder while I was just in the third grade. I would usually always get awards for accelerated reader. Since I was such a big reader, I would always tend to do really well in all my English and Language classes throughout school.

            I've had a love for reading for as long as I can remember. Lately I haven't been reading as much considering I barely have any free time. I really want to get into reading again before this year is over.