When I was younger I was an extremely avid reader. Put a book in my hands and I would emerge myself into the story for hours.This is a fairly uncommon quality in children I think but one that has an incredibly large impact in the person I have become. I don’t read as much as I used to anymore but the lessons that I took away from the books that once captivated my attention for days on end, some more than others. When asked about my favorite or most impactful book,I don’t miss a beat before flashing back to my childhood.Vividly I remember the excitement I felt when my elementary school teachers would serenade our class with their favorite stories. In fifth grade, my teacher came to school one day with a new book to share. It was called "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead. I have never been so captivated by a book since. "When You Reach Me" is the most influential book I have ever read because of the captivating plotline, excellent life lessons, and interesting structure.
By captivating plotline I mean edge of your seat nail biting can’t put it down captivating plot line. The story is quite unlike any story I have ever read. It is simple and short in length but so wonderfully written that it makes me question the things I believe to be true about deep concepts that have puzzled the human race for as long as we can remember. Heavy topics such as time and the human ability to travel in it. The best part is that I had no idea I was reading a book even sort of about time travel or anything of the sort until the last 30 or so pages. It took some pretty unexpected turns and always kept me feeling like I was on the edge of my seat. I read that book seven years ago for the first time and continue to think about it to this day. This was influential to me because it showed me how exciting reading could be. Although it has always been something I enjoyed doing, this was the first book that consumed my thoughts even when I didn't have it in my hand. That is something that has really stuck with me. It set the bar for books ever since.
The main character of "When You Reach Me" is a girl named Miranda who is best friends has been best friends with a boy named Sal who lives in the apartment directly under hers since she was a baby. Throughout the course of the novel the two drift apart drastically. Reading “When You Reach Me” for the first time in fifth grade, I had yet to personally experience drifting apart from a friend for no good reason. When I got older and people did begin to drift apart I had in the back of my mind the story of Miranda and Sal. It made me realize that it was normal and a part of life. Through their broken friendship I realized that life takes people in different directions and it's okay to outgrow someone who was once your whole world.
"When You Reach Me" is also sometimes written in the form of lists as opposed to paragraphs. This is because when Miranda gets stressed she makes lists in her head to stay organized. In my mind this makes the book appear more like the inside of her brain than paragraphs would and I felt way more connected to her character as a result. It was personal and gave me a feeling that I knew Miranda better even though she is fictional. The interesting structure if this book was influential to me because it helped me to feel like I was close with a fictional character on a personal level which is something I don’t remember feeling before this novel and still strive to establish among characters in current reads.
"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead is by far the most influential book I have ever read. I feel this way because of the incredible plotline, life lessons that I learned, and overall structure of the book. It sets the bar for all books I've read since
1 comment:
This is a wonderful way to describe a good book! I never read this book, but by your description of it, I can feel the power that "When You Reach Me" has and how it impacted you. You and I share the same qualities when we both find a book that impacted us: it has to relate to something in our life, must be well written, and it should feel like you aren't reading something, but as if you are living it.Even though you read this when you were younger, I too believe that books when you read as a young student can change and evolve you into the person you are today. I can name around five books on the top of my head that have changed me and my character due to how these books relate to me. It's not just the story that impacts me however, it is why I chose to read that particular book and who/what motivated me to. For example, when I was in first grade my dad and I started to read Harry Potter. Those books forever will impact me and it improved the relationship with my father as well. Reading at such a young age like you and I gave me increased confidence in reading and made my passion for reading grow immensely. I think this post was really well written and your choice of words made it flow even better. I can also pick up on your personality by reading this which made it more interesting and more fun too! I hope your passion for reading keeps growing because it will make your character and personality grow even more.
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