As a child, I had a love hate relationship with reading. I loved reading books I picked and I hated reading the books my mom picked. Where I wanted to read books full of mysteries and where the cover had caught my eye, my mom wanted me to read the classics such as: Little Women, The Chronicles of Narnia, Hinds Feet on High Places and Ann of Green Gables. Fifteen years later, I now understand my mom wanted to show me there is a whole new world in books just waiting to be discovered. She taught me that sometimes you have to read outside your comfort zone to find the true treasures in literature. As I grew as a reader, I transitioned from Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew to Tamora Pierce’s Tortall and Circle of Magic series in childhood, to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind as a teenager. My mom helped me grow and begin what has turned into a lifetime love affair with the written word.
At the age of ten, I stumbled upon the Nancy Drew series at the library. I
…show more content…
spied the fifty-six yellow novels peeking out from a shelf in the very back of the library and wandered over to see what mysteries they contained. I saw beautiful covers proclaiming adventures about The Hidden Staircase (#2), The Clue of the Broken Locket (#11) and The Quest of the Missing Map (#19). I was immediately hooked when I opened the first book, The Secret of the Old Clock, and saw the beautiful cover pages. Seeing the blue and cream cover pages hinting at the mystery within, followed by amazing illustrations hidden within the pages and a female lead character taking care of herself while taking no nonsense from anyone was exactly what I needed to draw me in. Through Nancy’s adventures I was able to explore a world where every day there was a new adventure to go one and a mystery to be solved. I was so enthralled by the series that I read the original fifty-six books in a week. The love I had for the Nancy Drew series fostered in me a love of mysteries that still exists today. From the Nancy Drew series I found Tamora Pierce’s Tortall and Circle of Magic series. The series presented a new challenge in my reading. The books had overlapping characters, magical worlds with mysterious and outlandish powers, strong female lead characters and plenty of mystery and adventure to keep me occupied for hours on end. With every new book I read, I was able to escape into a land of magic and mystery with different turn of events every few pages. The love of mystery and adventure that Keene and Pierce instilled in me, led to authors such as Lois Gladys Leppard, Lois Duncan, Robert Ludlum, Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as an adult. The joy I found in reading as a child and pre-teen led to my discovering Harry Potter when I was twelve years old.
The Harry Potter series had a major impact on my life as a reader, that still influences my reading to this day. At the time I was attending a, very anti Harry Potter, private Christian school. With the release of the second book the school even held an assembly on why reading the series was wrong. However, my mom, knowing my brother and I might be interested in the books, read the first book. She decided my brother and I were allowed to read the books, as long as she read them first and if she did not like a section she would paper-clip the pages together so we could not read those pages. I was captivated by Harry’s new world, even skipping those few pages. While reading the Harry Potter series it seemed like my reading went from zero to sixty over night. Whereas before I could read a two hundred and fifty page book in a day I was now reading four hundred page books in a
day. The wizarding world of Harry Potter was so enthralling.I was amazed with the vibrant stories and my imagination immediately let into action to picture everything happening in Harry’s world. I was so enamored with the first book I finished in under a day. I remember sitting on the playground at school, whispering to my best friend how I pictured Hogwarts and Harry’s latest adventure while watching for the yard duty making sure they didn’t overhear us discussing a banned book. Harry Potter was the first large book series I read that was considered both children’s and adult literature as both children and adult fell in love with the novels. The Harry Potter series was the beginning of my transition from children’s literature to adult literature. Through the series I realized there was an entire world within the pages of books for me to uncover. Soon after finishing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban I began Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series for kids. After reading the first two books in less than a day my mom handed me the first book in the adult series. I remember her clearly telling me as I was not being challenged I should try the adult series. I was immediately drawn into the end times made up of several main characters with individual stories. I was able to imagine the post-apocalyptic world LaHaye was describing in his novels. I remember thinking how much more involved the adult series was as the adult series laid all the horrors bare for the reader. The adult Left Behind series served as the final transition from children’s and pre-teen literature to the unexplored world of adult literature. Throughout the years, as my taste in literature has changed and evolved, I still find myself returning to the books I fell in love with as a child. I still imagine what mystery Nancy will solve next or what Harry’s next adventure will be. I still find joy in the children’s literature that had so much influence over my imaginations. I will forever be thankful to my mom for opening my eyes and making me read books I believed would hold no interest. By read books outside my comfort zone my eyes were opened to a whole new world of literature I would have never explored had I not sat down to read the books she gave me.
This is actually how it felt when I would stay up until 12 am on school nights reading Captain Underpants or making it impossible to sleep by reading multiple volumes of Goosebumps. I used to completely pass my time reading little simple books like these and in return they would fill my mind with vast opportunities to allow my imagination to flourish and apply it in class. When I first picked up the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling it was comparable to when the first people proved that the world wasn’t flat, that’s how amazing it felt to be able to fully understand and talk about the books with my
Since the first segment of the series was released in 1997, Harry Potter has been challenged by churches and parents due to the practicing of magic by children found within the books. The books have been removed from school shelves, discouraged by churches, and censored by parents. It is claimed that Harry Potter is devilish, satanic, and encourages children to practice the occult, damaging their religious views (LaFond). Therefore, many parents keep their children from reading the book series. Yet, Harry Potter has been such a positive influence on my so many lives. Evident through the movies, theme parks, stores, and much more, J.K. Rowling’s series has been an overwhelming success for many reasons (“Because it’s his…”). In order to encourage
Abanes, Richard. "Harry Potter: Harmless Christian Novel or Doorway to the Occult?" Interview. The Christian Broadcasting Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. In this interview, Author Richard Abanes provides information to parents about Harry Potter and the concerns and dangers with modern day fantasy literature. Supplying a priest’s expert opinion, this interview discusses children’s susceptibleness to outside influences and the different types of fantasy literature. Its unyielding, yet respectable position, including references to other Christian fantasy series such as The Chronicles of Narnia, will be advantageous for my argument in that it provides an alternative viewpoint from my own. Being a counterargument, this source can be used to help shape an argument in rebuttal of the points made in this argument. Sources that argue that Harry Potter does indeed contain Christian aspects will be helpful in a rebuttal of this source.
My grandmother introduced me to reading before I’d even entered school. She babysat me while my parents were at work, and spent hours reading to me from picture books as my wide eyes drank in the colorful illustrations. As a result, I entered my first year of school with an early passion for reading. Throughout elementary and middle school, I was captivated by tales of fire-breathing dragons, mystical wizards, and spirited foreign gods. A book accompanied me nearly everywhere I went, smuggled into my backpack or tucked safely under my arm. I was often the child who sat alone at lunch, not because she didn’t have friends, but because she was more interested in a wizards’ duel than the petty dramas of middle school girls. I was the child who passed every history test because she was the only kid who didn’t mind reading the textbook in her spare time, and the child who the school librarian knew by name. Reading provided a
Instead of mom reading children’s books to me, I read them to her. And if I stumbled upon something I didn’t know or understand, mom helped me out! Soon enough I started reading to her without stuttering of not knowing how to say a word. I started being able to sound out words easier and my fluency became much better than before. First grade came around and I started reading bigger books such as Junie B. Jones and also the Magic Treehouse books. Books became easier to read as I aged and the books I read were getting bigger and bigger. In 5th and 6th grade I read The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, and The Serpents Shadow, a trilogy called The Kane Chronicles written by Rick Riordan. I thought these three books were the greatest three books ever written! I even thought they were better than the hunger games! Especially with the series being based around Egyptian gods and theology, and also managed to tie in kids around my age that I could relate to. Those books made me love reading more than I ever have and I would read them again if I had the time to. Once 8th grade came out along I decided to read a “big boy” book: DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I thought I was so cool because I was reading a book that my parents have read. It has been the best book I have yet to read so far because it sparked my interest from the first sentence, to the last, there was intense suspense throughout the whole book and I could nonstop
My earliest memories can be found at the hands of paperback novels. Books were my escape from the world around me. The thrill of being able to leave behind the world and it’s baggage and enter another that books provided captivated me, and left an impact on me. The emotion I experienced solely from taking a small step into another person’s story was unlike any I had felt before. I desperately wanted others to feel what I had felt, and love whatever I had become entranced by with the same passion as I did.
My dad taught me that books could be my teachers, my mom taught me that our backyard could be my classroom, and my sister showed me that you could bring books into the swimming pool. I did not know it when I would spend hours in the pool reading a book that my parents weren’t encouraging it in vain, but my family life, for good reason, was centered on books. We were the planets orbiting around one sun that was the bookshelf. Little did I know that books would be the catalyst to academic success in my early life, and I owe it all to my family. Although a life with a book in your nose might seem boring, I was never bored. Living through the characters vicariously, I explored Narnia with Lucy, attended Hogwarts with Harry, and rode dragons with Eragon. Of course
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling, a thirteen year old wizard named Harry Potter believes that an escaped prisoner named Sirius Black was going to try to murder him. Black escaped from the most feared prison in the wizarding world, called Azkaban, and travelled to Hogwarts. To try to stop Black from harming anyone, Harry’s friends help him protect himself and others throughout their third year at Hogwarts. While the novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has many lessons throughout, one theme the book suggests is that with friends, you can do many things that you couldn’t have done on your own and you can help each other out of tricky situations.
Rowling’s writing sparks controversy with readers. Rowling has dealt with criticism about how her books teach children about witchcraft and evil powers (Kirk 103). To shield children from these teachings, schools and libraries across the world banned the books and occasionally, a book burning. “It conflicts with the values I’m trying to teach my children,” reports Ken McCormick, a father (qtd in Cannon and Cataldo). Evidently, the series’ plot teaches children revenge, and parents and teachers across the globe agree that banning the books will protect them from harmful lessons. However, her works have encouraged children read more. Today, fewer children and teens read for pleasure, causing a great drop in test scores, vocabulary, and imagination (Hallet). According to U.K.-based Federation of Children’s Book Groups, fifty nine percent of kids believe that Harry Potter enhanced their reading skills, and forty eight percent say that the books turned them in to bookworms (Hallet). In other words, Rowling’s books became children’s, in this day of age, video games. She published Harry Potter at a time where children, teens, and young adults were starting to consume their time with technology instead of reading. Without these books, generations across the spectrum would diminish in terms of reading skill. Rowling not only helps children improve their skills, she gives back to them through her
If one were to look at my varied reading habits, they would be struck by the diversity and over all unusualness of my mind’s library. I hardly remember the plot of the first book I read, but it was called Lonesome Dove. It wasn’t the actual first book I read, but I don’t really count the McGregor Readers from kindergarten. I read it in first grade because of my Grandmother’s fascination in the T.V. mini-series that was playing during the time. I wanted to be able to talk to her about it so I went to the public library that weekend and picked up a copy. Well, I actually didn’t pick it up, it was too heavy. It took me over two and a half months to read, but with the help of a dictionary and my grandma, I finally read it from cover to cover. I can’t really say that I understood it, because I don’t recall what it was about. But I do remember that it was quite an ordeal. Since then I have read many books. I enjoy fiction the best, especially those that are based on society, but have a small twist that leads to an interesting story. Some of the stories that I remember best from that early time in my life are Tales from Wayside Elementary School, Hatchet, The Godfather, and The Giver. I think that Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is the only book that I’ve read more than once. I liked the situation that Brian was put into, lost in the wilderness, with nothing more to fend for himself with than his mind and a trusty hatchet. The adversity he faces and his undying drive are what fascinated me most. Since that time my reading habits have grown into a different style. I have usually only read what was assigned to me during the school year because that was all I had time to do, but I have always strived to put forth extra effort. For example: last year for English 3 AP we had to read an excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. Although that we only had to read a small bit, I checked the entire book from the college library and read it all. Although the way that Franklin rambled on and on about his “Franklin Planner” was somewhat boring, the way he describe his life was pure poetry.
By focusing on those who have taking advantage of others, some chose to believe poor people deserve to be poor due to media perceptions, the assumption of those in poverty not working hard enough, and through government aid. The media plays a large role in shaping society’s view of the world and those involved in the society. This especially effects those living in poverty. There is a strong stigmatism on those living in poverty.
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
One of the most read series in all literature is Harry Potter. The seven-book succession has sold over 400 million copies and has been translated into over sixty languages. What is it that makes this series so wildly famous? What is it about the boy who lived that makes frenzied readers flock to their local bookstore at midnight on the day of the release to buy the latest installment? How is a story set in a world that doesn’t exist about wizards, witches, magic, and mystical creatures so popular? The series has been able to earn its spot on the New York Times Bestseller list and has granted author J.K. Rowling multiple awards because it is relatable. It is not the setting or the events in the plot of the story that we relate to. We relate to what Harry, his friends, mentors, teachers, caretakers, and even enemies feel. Harry is in a lot of ways exactly like us. He represents some of the good characteristics that all of us have as well as the bad. The series as a whole, is about one thing that is stressed over and over again in the novels, love. The Harry Potter series is one of the most read sequences of novels because the central theme is love and self-sacrifice, and readers are looking for a novel that shows them just that.
Before reading Harry Potter, I very rarely read for pleasure. I found reading boring, almost old fashioned. My frame of mind more readily paralleled Danny Divito in the movie Matlida, who says that “[t]here's nothing you can get from a book that you can't get from a television faster.” While my view of reading as a child could be summed up in that quote, everything changed when I was introduced to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I can remember to this day when my Dad began reading Harry Potter to me, and how I did not understand just how much this book would change me. Harry Potter and his world of wizardry became my own personal Shangri-La, my escape, my own world. Anytime I wanted, I could ascend to a world of fantasy and explore the depths of my own imagination in a way that I had never been capable of doing before. I became obsessed with the book, reading it before, during, and after sc...
Many children continue to be intimidated by the growing size of books, and back down from the challenge. An argument was made by Motoko Rich that “Although they (the Harry Potter books) have been cited as motivating children and adults to read, they have not led to an increase in reading among children or adults, nor slowed the ongoing overall decline in book purchases by Americans.” Though there are numbers aiding the claim that the series has so strongly affected children and their reading habits, the percentage of children who read for fun continues to drop at the same rate as before the books. As kids grow to teenagers, the longing for reading decreases at a decently alarming rate. It was estimated after the release of the Philosopher 's Stone in 1998 that 43% of fourth graders read for fun, whereas 19% of eighth graders read for fun. The same test and results were taken and recorded in 2005 after the release of the sixth book, The Half Blood Prince. As these numbers have shown, one novel every few years could not prove strong enough to reverse the decline in reading. The diminishing reading habits, as stated earlier, can however be blamed on obstacles such as growing social lives, school required reading and other sources of entertainment rather than the “failure” of Joanne and her