BY DANIELLA ASPURU It was in preschool when I read my first “chapter book”, or what was considered to be a chapter book to...

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BY DANIELLA ASPURU

It was in preschool when I read my first “chapter book”, or what was considered to be a chapter book to a preschooler anyway.  I would sit in my child-sized rocking chair after school and devour Amelia Bedelia books one by one. All of Ameilia’s antics intrigued me; I could read her absurd stories over and over again.  Amelia Bedelia was the first time I was able to lose myself in a book. Soon, the collection of books in my home library began to grow and so did my mind and eyes.

Losing yourself, forgetting the world around you and opening your mind are all side effects of being a bookworm.  If you don’t experience these feelings then you’re most likely reading the wrong type of book.  There are books for every single person out there.  That’s the beauty of books- there’s something for everyone and I mean absolutely everyone.  No matter who you are, you will find a book that will make you fall in love with reading.  A good book will have you laughing, crying and getting angry all in one sitting.  Books will draw you in and completely consume you for however long you turn their pages.  They will make you forget just where you are at the moment and focus solely on the message you’re receiving from the story. Each message is so unique and incisive that it’ll be nearly impossible to put the book down.

Reading is not solely about reading, but it’s also about learning and opening your eyes to new and different ideas.  The more you read, the more knowledge you gain and knowledge is power.  Reading stories, whether they may be fiction, nonfiction, biographies, autobiographies, poems, short stories, etc., increases your knowledge.  There is so much to learn by opening a book that I would consider it a shame and a waste to not engage your mind in such a beautiful and beneficial activity.