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Kindergarten: Age 6
I started my reading journey when I was in kindergarten. My teacher would read aloud to us with Dr. Seuss books like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. -
First & Second Grade: Ages 7-8
Near the end of first grade and all through second grade, I began reading small chapter books by myself. My favorite books at this time were the Junie B. Jones series and The Magic Tree House series. By the end of second grade in 2008, I had read the entirety of both series. This is where I began to take off as a reader. -
Third - Fifth Grade: Ages 9-11
In third grade, I was really into the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and had bought the entire set at the Scholastic Book Fair. In fourth grade, I began reading larger chapter books, such as Holes and Because of Winn-Dixie. Fifth grade is where my interests changed, and I became interested in reading more about history. I became obsessed with US history, but also world history, especially after reading The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler. -
Sixth Grade: Age 12
In sixth grade, I read To Kill a Mockingbird. At the time, I did not understand the book; I was simply reading it for AR points, but as an adult, I love the book, and I have read it several times since then. This is where I began reading more about the societies and mentalities we had. -
Seventh Grade: Age 13
I read The Fault in Our Stars in seventh grade. I LOVED this book. I was never one to finish a book quickly, however, I could not put this one down. This was right before the movie came out, so I was excited to be able to read it before watching the movie, so that I could compare. -
Seventh & Eighth Grade: Ages 13-14
In seventh grade, I also read The Outsiders. This was one of my favorite books to read in middle school. It made me want to understand more about how things used to be and how we have changed since then, things that I missed when I read To Kill a Mockingbird. In eighth grade, I was required to read Animal Farm, and that's where I began to dislike reading. -
Ninth Grade: Age 15
My freshman year of high school was when I dreaded having to read. My English teacher gave us a list of "classic" books to choose from, and gave us dates to complete the book by so we could be quizzed on it, verbally by her. I hated this, and because of it, I didn't want to read at all. -
Tenth & Eleventh Grade: Ages 16-17
During my sophomore and junior years of high school, I read what was required in class, but not much else outside of that. I was still not wanting to read after the requirements the year before, but was starting to come around. I began reading Of Mice and Men in my junior year as a class, and that is where I began reading for pleasure again. I loved reading that book, and it caught my attention just enough to get me back into reading. -
Twelfth Grade: Age 18
During my senior year of high school, I had gotten back into reading. My favorite thing that I read that year was Hamlet in English 12 AP. We were required to recite a soliloquy, the same soliloquy for the entire class, but recited individually. It was fun to act out the script, and it made it even more interesting to read. I read some other books that I can't remember, but I was finally enjoying reading again! -
Post High School - Current: Age 24
Today, I find nonfiction and biographies to be my favorite things to read. I bought a book recently for another class that I had to do a book report on, and I have never found it so easy to sit down and read. Being a military spouse, I bought the book called "Dear Military Teen," written as a guide to navigate what it's like to be a dependent of an active duty service member. Even though I'm not a teen, nor do I have any yet, I still found it very valuable and plan to use it for my kids.