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Trying to Read Newspapers
When I was 2 almost 3 years old, I would try to read my dad's newspapers. I'd point at pictures and try to sound out words. My parents noticed I had a knack for reading. -
Story puzzle blocks
I was 3-4 years old and I loved puzzles. I would build story blocks over and over until I got bored and wanted more challenging puzzles. -
Being Read to
I was 4-5 years old, and I wasn't confident in reading by myself yet. I had started Kindergarten and was working on writing to improve my speaking and reading skills. My family would read books to me every night and fostered my love for reading. -
Bilingual Picture Books
When I was 6 years old, I had grasped reading Ii English. However, I would read books that had the story in both English and Spanish. I was able to connect the meanings, spelling, and pictures. I was encouraged by my parents to be bilingual. -
Children's Books
I was 7 and read as many children's books as I could, on subjects like fossils or dinosaurs. I read every book that talked about dinosaurs and memorized their complicated names. I talked about what I read to friends and family. -
Chapter Books
I was 8-9 years and began to advance in reading. I read series like Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones. These chapter books had few illustrations, more chapters, and extensive vocabulary. -
Introduction to Young Adult Chapter Books
In my fifth grade class, we read The Hunger Games to learn about dystopian stories. I realized this was a genre I really enjoyed and it pushed me to start reading young adult books that were more complex than anything I had read up to that point. My school had a reading challenge and supported reading books beyond our reading level. -
Library
Throughout elementary and middle school I turned to libraries for solace. I had begun to read so many books that I needed more variety and the ability to check out several books at a time. The librarians always had recommendations for me and my mom was eager to take me as long as I was being productive. -
Finding my genre
Dystopian books like The Hunger Games opened my eyes to a world of plot-driven, suspenseful story-telling. Around 2017, my English teacher recommended that I should pick up fantasy books, and I never looked back. Now it's what I read the most and has fueled my passion for reading. -
Chapter Books in Spanish
I realized recently that I rarely read in Spanish. My Spanish proficiency is high, but I have not read to the same extent as I have in English. I made it my goal to read more in Spanish because there's always something new I can learn. -
Present Day
I read about 30 books a year, which believe it or not is way less than I used to. School and balancing adult life has made it more challenging to set aside reading, but I think it's a quick way to acquire more vocabulary and a pathway to connect with others.