With the rise in modern technology, many people have tossed aside their books and have fallen into the pit of electronics. 

For hundreds of years, books were the main source of entertainment for people. Society hasn’t always relied on phones to make it through. Before phones, the only things around were books.

Over the years, readers have become something of a hidden treasure. Most people are so caught up in their phones, they don’t pick up a novel and just read.

What many people don’t understand is readers don’t see words on a page, readers see those words come to life. Words become palaces, paragraphs become people and quotes become words to live by. 

I’m a reader. My parents would spend hours reading to me when I was younger. My dad would always have stacks of books beside him when putting me to bed, and I refused to sleep until he had read them all. 

I have read the stories of the past, the present and the future. I have fought battles on the high seas, fallen in love with the villain and been my own superhero. 

Books have taught me more lessons than I have learned throughout school. I haven’t learned how to multiply and divide from books. I have learned how to defend myself. I have learned how to stand up for myself, I have learned to be okay with myself. 

One of my favorite book series is “The Infernal Devices.” The series also holds one of my all time favorite quotes: “Words have the power to change us.” 

As a reader, I have learned to take the good and the bad that comes with that. Sometimes people tell me how great it is that I read all the time. Other times, I am made fun of if I read instead of talking to people or playing on my phone.

When I was younger, this used to bother me a lot. But now I have grown to accept it. I have always loved to read. Even if someone doesn’t think it is fun, or it doesn’t do anything for them, that doesn’t mean I have to change who I am just to appease other people. 

Reading has been the number one thing that has gotten me through the hardest times in my life. It is comforting to know that no matter what I can escape into a book and forget about reality for awhile. 

Reading has offered me the chance to explore many different genres. I ran away with  Jane when she escaped from Rochester. I went  with Christine when she left the phantom. I have rejected a proposal from Mr. Collins. I have solved the most dangerous and difficult mysteries with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I have gotten into mischief with Anne Shirley in Avonlea. In other words, I have traveled all over the world without ever leaving the comfort of my bed. 

What many don’t understand is that when I read, I don’t just see words on a page. I see a movie playing in my head. 

As odd as it sounds, the characters aren’t two-dimensional in my mind. They become real, living, breathing people. They become people I can turn to when my friends aren’t there. Characters become family in times when real family doesn’t get along. 

I have had many adults and parents come up to me while I am reading, and I always get asked the same question: “ How can I get my child or students into reading?” 

Truth be told, there isn’t a specific way to get someone into reading, but  one of the ways I have learned to help people is by finding genres they are interested in. What I mean by that is if a child is into fantasy movies and TV shows, have them read “Harry Potter” or “Percy Jackson.” If someone is a fan of romantic comedies, have them read “ Pride and Prejudice” or “The Love Hypothesis.” The lists are endless. 

Reading isn’t for the faint of heart. Sometimes, reading can help someone find themselves when they didn’t know they were lost. Reading can teach morals and lessons not always taught in school. Reading teaches the dreamers to dream.