#GrowingUpReading

In the past few weeks the GrowingUpThick hashtag has been making the rounds, and though many of these applied to me, it got me thinking about some other things in life that were different for me growing up. With school getting back into session, I've also been reminiscing about my school days. With this odd combination swirling in my heard the past few days, I've come up with my own hashtag: #GrowingUpReading.

You see, there is a moment in every young bookworm's life when they realize they are different than their peers. As a child, I actually had many of these moments. I remember other kids being bored during reading time, when for me, it was the most exciting part of my school day. There were the multiple standardized test scores telling my parents what they already knew: my reading level was far ahead of my peers. I, like many others out there, grew up a bookworm. It is a wonderful thing, but there are also some things that made it a little rough. Today, I thought I would do a little pro and con list of what it means to #GrowUpReading.

Pro: Bookworms take full advantage of school/classroom libraries.

You know that small, usually brightly colored bookshelf in the back of the classroom? It is a treasure trove for young bookworms. Teachers and librarians know that if they want their kids to read, they have to stock their shelves with the good stuff. Whether it be your first classic (You know you loved the Great Illustrated Classics books.), or your first Nancy Drew book, these were the books that teachers hoped would hook other students into liking reading, but for us bookworms, they were a constant source of great reading for the entire school year.

Con: The books in those shelves are usually for your peers' reading level, not yours.

By age ten, I was reading young adult books and would soon start reading Stephen King and Jane Austen, but my teacher's bookshelf still held a lot of books that were for my grade's reading level. They were books I flew through within hours. Eventually, I would bring one home and bring it back the next day to swap it for another. Some of them I could finish in the school day itself. Depending on the teacher, the books just weren't challenging or fun to read anymore.

Pro: Reading is an introvert's best friend. 

I have always been an introvert, but when I was younger, I was also a very shy child. I didn't make friends easily, because I honestly had little interest in childish things/behavior. I liked reading, stories, and writing. Reading was a great escape. I never had to be social when I had a book. Plus, I still felt like I was getting plenty of interaction as a child, because, hello, characters are instant BFFs.

Con: Reading during recess doesn't exactly make you a lot of friends. 

So, though reading is a great escape for baby introverts, it doesn't exactly lead to a lot of interaction with other kids. Recess was a time for reading, not for friend making. Waiting in pick-up line for parents, a time of interaction for most other kids, was a few extra minutes of reading time for us bookworms. Eventually, I learned how to socialize properly, but my middle and high school friends still had to deal with me pulling out my books during lunch time. Forget gossip, there is reading to do.

Pro: Wonderful conversations with your English teachers.

Every bookworm knows where to go in school when they need a good vent session about the last book they read: English teachers. Whether you want feedback on your own writing or just want to talk about the classic you read last week outside of class, English teachers were the greatest allies for those of us who grew up as bookworms. They were always there to talk about favorite novels and to recommend new books. They're also pretty useful for getting titles that will challenge you. In my experience, if you tell an English teacher a list of novels you love, they will give you a longer list of books that will not only challenge you, but that will make you a better reader and writer.

Con: Other teachers get weird when you only talk about literature.

Sadly, not all teachers are into literature. Pulling out a book at school often leads to a long discussion with other teachers about how they only read non-fiction and how you can't possibly be getting much out of that YA book. Young bookworms are given the very tedious job of trying to make their other teachers understand the importance of literature in the development of the human brain, empathy, and the understanding of how the world works outside of fourth period biology. Sometimes they secede and others just shake their heads and suggest you do your homework (which is most likely already done) instead of wasting time with the novel in your hands.

Pro: Reading during class.

Don't under estimate a young bookworm. We're just as dangerous as all the other kids. While other kids get their rebellion in elsewhere, we bookworms figured out at an early age how to rebel in the classroom. The teacher is droning on about something you read in the textbook earlier in the week, so what else is there to do besides pull out the book you've been reading? You hide it perfectly behind the massive history book on your desk, or you slip it flat onto the desk behind the kid in front of you's shoulders. Everyone else is stuck listening to the teacher taking roll or talking about something they didn't quite finish yesterday, but you get to read. Young bookworms everywhere discover this form of rebellion early, and we never quite get over the thrill of it.

Con: Getting books taken away.

Teachers get tired of being made a fool. The best of us young bookworms figure out quickly how to both listen to the lecture on the side while simultaneously reading. So it goes that the teacher will notice your reading and ask you a question about what they just said. Though some answer wrong and are shamed into putting their book away, some of us can give the answer without looking up from our novels. Teachers, in my experience, don't like when students are able to read in class and still pass. After a while, they get tired of it and end up taking away your book as if its a cell phone. When this happens, they have usually reached a level of annoyance that ends in a their having hawk eyes for anything you may pull out of your bag during the lecture. To all the young bookworms out there, don't be discouraged. Suffer through lectures for a few weeks and the teacher will hopefully move their hawk eyes onto somebody else.

Pro: Constant Entertainment.

Reading is an escape. It creates another world, and it allow us to disappear from this world when things get boring. Whether waiting at DMV with your parents or in the backseat as your parents drone on about taxes and loans and house payments and other boring adult things, young bookworms are always equipped. We come prepared with our own entertainment. Video games? Pshhh. Netflix?Maybe later. Reading? Yes, please!

Con: Finishing your book and not having another one with you.

Forgetting to bring a second book with you is possibly the worst feeling ever. This is a dreadful moment that every young bookworm must go through at least a few times in their childhood. How else will you learn, though? You have to learn to gauge whether or not a second book must be brought a long. Will there be time to read? If yes, how much longer do I have left in the book I'm reading? If less than one hundred pages, do I bring the second book? The answer: Yes. If you will have time to read and you have less than one hundred pages left, you pick out that second book and you stuff it in your tote bag this second. Trust me. I have lived through enough moments in my bookworm youth to know that if there is a chance you might finish the book you're bringing with, then you bring the second book, too. Better safe than sorry.

Well, I hope all of you enjoy this post! Whether, like me, it brings back memories, or whether you're going through some of these things now, I hope it made you happy to be a part of the bookworm life. Do you have any other pros or cons from your time #growingupreading? If so, please comment below!

I'll see you all Monday with a new review!

Your Pemberley Reader,
Acacia