My 11-year-old daughter recently had an assignment to write 3-4 pages on a particular subject that was important to her and that she knew a lot about — “expert” topic writing. She chose a subject near and dear to her heart, reading. My daughter is a book lover. She devours them like they are going out of style or will be taken away from her. She considers herself an expert on reading.
When she was finished, she wanted me to read it to check for anything that was strange or incorrect in the essay. Apart from her using an abundance of exclamation points (“I’m really excited about reading and wanted to emphasize it!”) it read quite well. And it weighed in at over 2700 words, well beyond the 3-4 pages (and longer than many of my own blog posts).
I thought it was a fun read, and it was interesting. And I thought if there are other young readers out there, it might be a bit inspirational.
Below is part of her essay. She did add some graphics that are different from what was in her original document. Colors and emphasis are hers. I encourage you to read her entire essay which now appears on her new blog: Words by Sally.
Reading
By Sally Sheehan
Introduction:
Reading is one of the best things in my life. I can journey all around the world and go to magical places, all while snuggled up in a cozy blanket! Over the years, I have learned many tips and tricks on reading. Whether you don’t like reading or you love it, you will enjoy this book! Hope to see you at the next section!
Where to Start:
It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting to like reading when you’re seven, or 49, you must start out at the same place. And that is to start with an easy, yet good book. This is because if you start with a hard book, you might give up on reading forever. Hard books can be amazing, but difficult to understand. And if
you do not understand the book, you will not enjoy it. This is why you have to start with a good, but fantastic book or book series. For example, the Percy Jackson or Maze Runner series are easy for me. That way, once you get to the hard books, you can really appreciate the writing. Remember to always take recommendations!
Read the full essay here.
Obviously, as a parent, one has to be proud of one’s children. When I read my daughter’s essay, it made me proud, but I am also hoping that it may help to inspire other young readers in general. And, it could be said that every child has some sort of a passion, and we, as parents, should do our best to provide the tools, means and opportunities to allow our kids to bloom.
Honestly, I’m not a big reader so I cannot claim any inspiration for my daughter’s desire to read. My wife, on the other hand, is, and she is the one feeding my daughter’s unsatiated need to read and providing her with the books to fuel this passion.
For those interested in the books my daughter listed, here are direct (affiliate) links to some of them on Amazon:
- Percy Jackson series
- Maze Runner series
- The Mortal Instruments series
- The Selection series
- Harry Potter series
- Divergent series
- The Fault In Our Stars
- Anna and the French Kiss
- Lola and the Boy Next Door
- The Hunger Games series
What are your kids passionate about? Leave a comment!
HTD says: Reading is not only good for the brain, it’s good for the soul!
