Words are power. Literature is a true force to be reckoned with. I would never have been able to be the person I am today without reading books. There was however, one book in particular that "started it all."
As a young child, I fondly remember my mother reading books aloud to my siblings and I. We started off with the well known Judy Moody, and Junie B. Jones books. My mother would often read a chapter ahead of us each night. By staying "a step ahead," she was able to ensure that the content was appropriate to our developmental ages.
As most true 90's kids will tell you, the series written by J.K. Rowling was ablaze in our lifetimes. My mother read the first three Harry Potter books to my siblings and I. However, upon pre-reading the first chapter in the fourth book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," she deemed it "too scary" for us youngsters.
We whined, and begged for her to read it to us. My siblings and myself especially, had fallen in love with this new magical world. The one where inked pages could take an audience away to whole new realm of wonder. I remember my mother, perhaps a bit sarcastically saying to us, "If you want to hear the story so badly, why don't you learn to read?" I was around four, perhaps five years old, and at first, the idea seemed ridiculous to me.
I saved diligently, every penny I found in the couch cushions, and every dime left under the bed, until I had around $15 dollars, mostly in change. I then, asked my mother if I could buy the audio book. Amazed at my diligence and tenacity, she agreed, and even paid for almost half of it.
I learned to read because of J.K. Rowling's novels. I would sit beside the boombox in my bedroom, listening to one audio cassette tape after another, while following along with the worlds written in her book.
By second grade, age eight, I was reading classical novels such as "Black Beauty." However, I do not think this would have ever been the case, had I not met Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Many of the books I've read over the years have left an impact on me, such as "The Road of Lost Innocence" and "A Child Called It," but "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" will always be held near and dear to my heart.
I genuinely have to thank Rowling for my ability to read. Had her books not left me so spellbound, I wouldn't have been so dedicated to the idea of learning to read. I have now read the fourth book of Harry Potter (to this day my favorite) over a dozen times.
My sincerest thanks to you, J.K. Rowling, for creating a magical world in which I learned to read.
