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Dr. Seuss
The first books I remember reading completely on my own were 1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, The Cat in the Hat, and The Foot Book. Dr. Seuss was, like many others, my childhood. His simply writing and rhyming is still memorized in my brain to this day. -
Zen Shorts
I remember in elementary school reading a book series called Zen Shorts, which was about a panda named Stillwater being a teacher to three children. The books were on a higher reading level than Dr. Seusse and possibly some of my favorite children's books. I remember so vividly my dad reading these books with me. The illustrations and writing was more complex then any book I had read up to that date. -
Harry Potter
I remember in 4th grade my teacher's classroom was themed Harry Potter and it got me into the Harry Potter franchise. This started my love for fantasy work and reading novels. I remember how obsessed I became with Harry Potter. Before 4th grade I struggled with English, yet after that year my literacy skills nearly doubled. -
Blubber
My mom got me into reading Judy Bloom at a young age. The first book I read by her was Blubber. This book was so real and brutal I adore it. The complex characters, the realism and the plot were deep and at times hard to follow. I remember how this book shaped me into being somehow even more kind and loving at such a young age. -
Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret
This was another book my mom suggested I read. I cannot remember if I read this book or Blubber first. This was one of the first books that managed to get me to think on a deeper level, especially about growing up. The book helped me overcome my questioning of faith and my fear of becoming older. The writing was much different compared to the many fantasy children's books I was reading at the time. -
That Was Then, This Is Now
Another S.E. Hinton novel I adore, even to this day. Hinton's works always touched me in such a way, especially with tougher themes such as the hard aspects on family and learning not everyone is as they seem. This novel didn't impact me as much as The Outsiders did but I still adore this novel and the dark themes about drug addiction. I believe this novel single handedly prevented me from ever having any desire to use substances. -
The Outsiders
S.E Hinton is my favorite author. If I could meet any author it would have to be her. The Outsiders is apart of my heart, soul, and mind, forever engraved in my memory. The book that got me into writing and the first book that made me cry. I remember this novel so clearly and how it affected me as a person. My perspective on family was changed forever and my love of writing was born all due to a broke teenager writing about how his two best friends died for his English teacher. -
Walk Two Moons
This was the first required reading novel I had to read in school. I don't remember much about this novel except crying for some reason. I never figured out why. The life lessons about finding ones self and losing someone close to you hit like a train. -
Fahrenheit 451
This was my favorite dystopian novel I read in 8th grade. I don't remember much about the book itself but rather the class as a whole trying to figure out why the government would ever do such a thing. I think about this novel quite often and how its similar to today's day and age with all of the book banning. Will this book become banned in the future, is something I think about quite a lot. -
Lord Of The Flies
I never imagined reading a book about humanity's decent into madness, especially about a group of boys stuck on a deserted island. This novel really made me question characters and what they represented in literature. I started focusing more on themes such as man vs man, man vs nature, man vs self. I got to see characters lose themselves, the regret they feel, and how they overcome that experience. -
The Crucible
This was my favorite play I ever read. I loved learning about the Salem Witch Trials but getting to see a perspective on what actually happened with the real-life people who were burned all because of lies was insane. My sophomore English teacher was excited for this play, especially since he allows us to make the play modern. We got to take the characters, and from the context given about them were able to use critical thinking and put them in modern situations.