Reading
I am no stranger to books, although the reason I got so into them is a story.
When I was in the first grade my parents were approached about putting me into a special reading class. Basically, my teachers told them that I wasn’t on the reading level I should be. I think the reason they thought that is because I have a hard time reading aloud, and I always have had that problem. It probably has to do with the fact that I was so sick as a child, I had several ear infections. My mom’s theory is that I couldn’t hear very well in those first few days so I didn’t catch a few important syllables/sounds. For example, for years I couldn’t pronounce the difference between short and shirt. It wasn’t until my mom suggested I sound out shirt like I would say my Aunt Shirley’s name that I got it down. That is just one example, but I’m sure that’s the reason my teachers thought I couldn’t read well. My mom always thought that they just needed more kids for the program, she thought I could read fine.
So I went to special reading class for first and second grade and it must have “worked” because in third grade I was able to take part in the “advanced” reading class. See, my school actually had us switch around in certain classes if we were stronger or weaker in a certain subject. My third grade reading teacher was not my primary teacher.
Fast forward to 5th grade. As Michelle stated in her recent entry about Alexis having a teacher who played favorites, so did I. My teacher was insistent on labeling me as a troublemaker. For those who know me well, you know I am a goody two shoes and a people pleaser. I was too terrified of the paddle to ever try to cause trouble as a kid.
Well, anyway, this was around the same time that our school started participating in the Accelerated Reader program. Our teacher decided to promote the program by having a contest. The first student to hit a certain amount of books read (with points earned) would get $10 and the runner-up $5 (I think, it’s a little fuzzy these days what the real amounts were). Let’s just say, I was hooked. I finally had a good reason to read and I did enjoy reading, so I got to work. I remember that there was a girl that I was competing with, although the competition became clear later on, but I do remember there was a specific book that she didn’t do as well on… Summer of the Monkeys. She read it, but didn’t get the full points. So, of course, I read it and got 100%. Next I picked up another book that she hadn’t done so well on, A Ring of Endless Light. The librarian encouraged me to read A Wrinkle in Time first and so I did. I immediately fell in love with Madeleine L’Engle and went on to read A Ring of Endless Light next.
In the end, I barely lost the contest. The other girl beat me by just a few hours. I remember her bringing me my money at lunchtime and feeling very sad that I had been defeated.
However, this sparked something bigger in me. I went on to do very well over the next three years in that program. When I “retired” in 8th grade, I was thousands of points ahead of everyone. I had kicked some major butt. I also had fallen in love with books and spent my summers at the local library competing in their summer reading contest. Let’s just I say I won those summer contests at least twice by reading over 200, sometimes more books. That was a lot for a little kid and I often walked away with at least ten books each day.
I read a lot those years, through the Nancy Drew series, Sweet Valley, Hardy Boys, and other random titles. I fell in love with the Time Quartet by Madeleine L’Engle and she became my favorite author and to this day, she still is, although there won’t be any other books coming from her.
These days I’m into new types of books. I’m in the midst of the Sookie Stackhouse series, on book six. I’m also reading (for the first time) the Anne of Green Gables series, and a stack of other books this summer.
Folks, that stack doesn’t even include the books I downloaded on my iPod touch (Kindle app., baby!), the entire Oz series.
I think it’s safe to say that I really enjoy reading and although I may not read fast aloud, I am pretty proud of my Matilda like skills of reading to myself.
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Tags: accelerated reader, books, Childhood, contests, memories, Reading
i loved the sweet valley series and the baby sitter’s club
any ones just completed on your list that are must-reads?
Becca Reply:
June 11th, 2010 at 8:34 am
@Brooke: I can recommend the Sookie Stackhouse series. It’s about vampires and other supernatural creatures and is a bit more mature than other book series (Twilight) that have similar topics. I also enjoyed Wicked, the story of the Wicked Witch from Oz. My Sister’s Keeper was a good read, but really sad, as was The Time Traveler’s Wife. That’s pretty much what I’ve read recently.
Becca Reply:
June 11th, 2010 at 8:34 am
@Brooke: I can recommend the Sookie Stackhouse series. It’s about vampires and other supernatural creatures and is a bit more mature than other book series (Twilight) that have similar topics. I also enjoyed Wicked, the story of the Wicked Witch from Oz. My Sister’s Keeper was a good read, but really sad, as was The Time Traveler’s Wife. That’s pretty much what I’ve read recently.