What book saved me?

I stopped reading when I was about six.

That’s strange to say, right? Here I am: a storyteller, a writer. But I also have a tough past with reading.

Around first grade, I got tired of those reading tests. I hated reading something just to get asked hard comprehension questions. I didn’t understand any of it. So, I stopped reading.

I was behind on my reading level by second grade. I got taken out of class to practice reading and get stickers for attempting.

Mom, studying to be an educator at the time, wasn’t going to let that happen though. She bought this “new, interesting, but popular” book that she had heard a lot about. She decided she was going to read it with me every night until my reading skill improved. The book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

I got back on level in less than a year. By fourth grade, I read ten books at once even when my teacher told me not to. My fascination with stories grew.

Now, I write novels for fun.