For the Love of Reading by Samantha Langley, junior at Chatham Central HS

I am the founder and president of the Chatham Central School Book Club. I know the first thing that pops into your head: What a nerd! So many students of all ages say how that reading is boring, they'll never do it unless their teacher tells them to, and that reading is hard. However, what they don't realize is that every time you pick your favorite hunting magazine, log onto a fashion blog, or even open an email from a friend, you're doing the very thing you claim to hate so much: reading!!!!


The biggest thing that you have to do when choosing a book to read is to choose something that you're interested in. If you see a movie or television show that you like, why not read the book about it? For younger students the movie How to Train your Dragon by J.E. Bright recently came out in theaters. It's a story about a young boy who trains a dragon even though he lives in a community that wants to slay dragons. If you like the movie, then you might like the book as well, so why not give it a try? Also this can become a great incentive for parents when it comes to getting their children to read. Tell your children if they read the book then they can take a friend to go see the movie.

For a little older crowd the infamous Twilight by Stephaine Meyers and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling series are great reads. Since most students have already read these two series though you might try The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. It is a story about a 300-year old vampire that meets a girl who looks just like the vampire who turned him. The show comes on Thursday nights on the CW television network.  It's a great book, and by incorporating the television show into your reading you will be able to picture the story more, and get more out of it.

So a lot of you may not be into fiction and that's fine.  In fact, if you're not, then you can still find a book on your interests. If you're into four-wheeling or hunting read about that. There are all types of books about terrain, types of guns, and thousands of more books that fall into these subjects. One such book is The Four Wheeler Bible by Jim Allen. This book goes over everything to do with four-wheelers from how to increase your speed on the track, to how to install upgrades. If you have a passion for fashion then try a book about 'flappers' in the 1920's. One such book is Flappers and the New American Woman: Perceptions of Women from 1918 Through the 1920's by Catherine Gourley. It's a great book about how the short hair and short-skirted fashions 1920's shocked people, but lead to fashion reform. Flappers were really the 'bees knees' of the time.  Everyone has something they're interested in. Even if all you like to do is sit at home, play video games and watch television, try reading a book about video game design or a famous actress. The world of non-fiction books is a very wide range, and expands into any area of interest.

Another reason why students claim that they don't read is because it takes too long, and they're not very good at it. The only way to fix these problems is to read. Reading is just like any other skill; the more you read the better you will get. In fact, by spending time reading you are actually helping yourself save time later because you will spend less time with out-of-class reading assignments. By doing this you can also improve other language art skills. Ask yourself questions that a teacher might have on a test. Analyze the tone, predict what will happen, or just summarize what you've read in your mind. If you take the time to think about it then you can increase these skills and make better grades.

Reading can also be fun if you get your friends involved. In short, start your own book club. While reading is normally a solitary action, there are ways to get your friends involved. Choose a book that interests a whole group of people. Tell everyone to read to a certain point in the book, and then meet somewhere to talk about it. Providing snacks can make the experience all the more enjoyable, and you'll get a whole new perspective on the book reading experience. Some schools even offer book clubs, and if they don't then try to start your own. Even if you can't start a school one you might try one outside of school. This is also a great motivator for getting yourself to read. In my book club at Chatham Central we recently read Lord Loss by Darren Sharon, a book about a boy whose family is murdered by a demon, and he learns that the family has the gene to turn into werewolves. The only way to stop it is too beat a certain demon in chess. This is a great book to start a book club with!

So as you can see reading doesn't have to be boring, and while it may be difficult now if you practice it will get easier. Reading really is a fun activity that you can even do with your friends. The most important thing to do though is too read! Choose your own page-turner and get started.  As Dr. Seuss says, "The more you read, the more things you'll know, and the more places you'll go."