Last week I picked the Art Society kids up from school and on the way to get some frozen yogurt* Jarron and I were discussing our favorite parts of Harry Potter when Kaiya asked, "Rachel, do books ever take you on a grand adventure?"
(It should be noted that Kaiya is an old soul. She phrases things like this all the time. She does not need lessons in the Ways of the 80 Year Old. I'll have her in brooches within a year.)
The answer of course is yes. Hopefully every time. This is why I read. If a book does not transport me then I'm not interested. There is value in reading for knowledge but if it doesn't excited you then what's the point? Unless you're being graded on it you should never read a book that bores you. Even if you're hundreds of pages in already. If you find yourself not caring then you should shut it and give it back to the library. Let someone else discover how boring it is. But don't waste any more time with it when there are books like this to read.
This got me extremely excited for her. For both of them really. Because they like reading and they get that this is what is supposed to happen. You're supposed to feel something different when you read. It's supposed to take you to a place you haven't been to before or back to a place that you love. You're supposed to read about people you would never get the chance to meet but would be friends with if you ever did. This is why we read.
What was the first book that made you realize that reading is awesome? It was Anne of Green Gables for me. I had ever intention of nearly drowning in the Lake of Shining Waters and being rescued by Gilbert.
*Because there must be treats at Art Society. Good treats. I'm not talking about bags of jelly beans. We get fancy sodas for Trader Joes with exotic flavors like blood orange and pomegranate. Because we're high class.