Growing up, I was a bad reader. Not in the typical academic sense—I read at the Lexile level of a sophomore before I even finished 5th grade. Instead, I was the type of reader who would stain pages with my mac and cheese, dog-ear library books, and rack up overdue fines until my family’s library account was frozen. It even reached the point where my brother, Luke, and I had our suitcases inspected for library books before we left on vacation—we accidentally left one too many copies back at our Disney World hotel the year prior. I remember when an argument broke out one winter after Luke stepped on my Ultimate Weird But True book with his slush-stained boot in the car, despite me leaving it there, cover page open. It wasn’t necessarily that I was a reckless kid who didn’t care about the state of her books. In reality, they were such a constant throughout my childhood that a ripped page or missing graphic novel felt as inconsequential as losing an old sock to the wash—an inconvenience at most, but I knew there would always be an abundance of them around my household.
Considered a core subject by Illinois State Standards (and my mom’s opinion), reading was an activity taken very seriously at home. While other kids bragged about forging their parents’ signatures for nightly reading logs, I was sat down with a 20-minute egg timer and a book. When placed under the care of a babysitter or grandparent, we were instructed to go to the library instead of Fox Valley Mall or the movies like other kids did. I spent so much of my time at Nichols Library with my nanny that I ended up losing one of my favorite dolls along the shelves. Even my first real glimpse into independence was when I received my own children’s library card at age 10, regardless of not having an email address or credit card to pay fines.
Despite the strict reading regime I was placed under, it never felt like a chore to read. My parents fostered my love for reading, by taking the books checked out at Nichols and reading them to me. A big Harry Potter fan himself (bringing The Half-Blood Prince with him on his honeymoon), my dad started to read the series to me when I was 6. With his animated storytelling and dedication to reading one chapter per night, I became obsessed with the series. 
I dressed up as J.K. Rowling for my 2nd-grade wax museum, walked around Downtown Naperville sweltering in my Hufflepuff scarf on Harry Potter’s birthday, and was even interviewed by the Chicago Tribune for my love of the series. To this day, I am still a big fan of the books. Every fall, I’ll rewatch the movies with my best friend and I even have a poster of Sirius Black’s mugshot up on my bedroom wall.
Like Harry Potter, my love for reading is something that transcended childhood. To compensate for my overflowing personal library, I bought a Kindle Paperwhite with my own money. I log every book I read on Goodreads, hoping to reach my unrealistic reading goal of 40 books this year. I annotate pages of a JFK biography for my history-obsessed friend. Without the foundations my parents set for me in my childhood, I wouldn’t be the reader I am today—or probably even the person I am today. And although I’ve made huge strides in keeping my books in better condition, every once and a while a rogue spaghetti stain will reconnect me to my roots. A 17-year-old and a 7-year-old: both hunched over a good book at the dinner table with a bowl of pasta and both stronger readers because of it.
Hi Maddie! I really loved your post, especially the unique way that you structured your first paragraph around the different ways that you mistreated your books. Your use of little details, like the Mac and cheese and Luke’s snow boot, made me feel like I was there with you and gave your post such a nostalgic quality. I was surprised to read that you were interviewed by the Chicago Tribune during the Harry Potter festival, because I was also interviewed by the newspaper on the same night (even though we weren’t in the same article, I checked!). They took a picture of me in my Hermione costume, and I remember being so excited because I thought I was going to get famous for my love of the series. It was really cool to learn something new about you, and amazing to see this little way that our lives intersected before we met years later. For me too, my love for the Harry Potter series has transcended my childhood and is something that reminds me of early memories with my family. In general, I related to so much of your post, especially the feeling of being placed under a “strict reading regime” but growing to love it instead of resenting it.
Hey Maddie! I love these pictures of you when you were little, they are SO cute! I really like the beginning of your response. It drew me in and made me interested in your story because it was not what I was expecting when I first read that you were a “bad reader.” I wish I was as avid of a reader as you, but unfortunately I was one of the kids who would lie on their reading log. I liked reading, just not when it was assigned, and I always preferred doing something else more stimulating. Either way, I am also a huge fan of Harry Potter! I read it a bit later than you, in 5th grade. I always find it so adorable when parents read stories to their kids with fun and animated voices, so I am happy that enriched your experience and made your memories of reading Harry Potter so special. It is so cool that your interview was in the Chicago Tribune, I feel like that immortalized your love of the series! I am glad to see that your book-keeping habits have improved, but I think it is so cute that when you sometimes spill on your books you feel connected to your younger self. As we grow up, it is so important to keep those versions of ourselves alive to remember where we came from.
I had so many memories come back when I read your entry. It’s funny you brought up lexile in your response, I vaguely remember getting back a score from a standardized test we did every year. I am not sure if it was CogAT, but it had to be something of that sort. The other kids would speak in whispers, bragging about their scores- I might have been college level by 5th grade. However, I would be lying if I said I was a good reader. Not necessarily for the same reasons you listed, I hated dog-earring my books, but I would never read if I was told to. I did not bother forging a signature or asking my parents for one, sometimes I would hand in an empty sheet. I completed my wax museum poster and note cards in one day, going as Beethoven. I cannot recall if I ever properly did my math homework- I could not figure out how to sign into my canvas account for a good part of a year until I got in trouble for it. I was an awful student, but I loved reading, I am sure of it. I just could not conform to a schedule, and I can’t recall when that changed. I am sorry if I ever seemed lost during PI, I probably was.
I loved your entry. Honestly, it made me realize elementary school might have been my peak excellence. The way you’d feel when you’d get the MAP Test back, or you finished your silent read first was indescribable. Being at the top of your class back then was much easier. It also made me wonder, does reading come easier currently to those who thrived in their younger years? I always loved reading due to the praise I received from teachers, and my parents, and of course, I love books too. It also raises the question of the success rate of those who constantly went to libraries in their formative years. My parents also encouraged my love for books by bringing me to book fairs, and libraries, and I even met and received a signature from the author of my then-favorite novel, Dork Diaries. Even though I lost it shortly after, it was the thought that counts. Although I’m not the biggest fan of Harry Potter, the kids who read him in elementary school were always the smartest. I might love reading but not enough to read 800 pages. I’ll leave that to you. Your writing is phenomenal. Might as well finish the rest of this biography for us.
Hey Maddie~ It was interesting to read how far back your love for reading goes. I feel like a lot of bookworms started out that way at first, reading a story and then moving on to the next, knowing that it’s a continuous journey with no end. Just knowing that there is an abundance of books anywhere keeps one motivated to keep reading to see what other story one will submerge themselves in. Those reading logs you were talking about bring back a lot of elementary school memories, there were definitely a lot of kids who faked their logs but not many actually kept up with it which is admirable to see in your case. It’s also pretty neat that your parents supported your desire to read like you said when your parents left you with a caretaker, they didn’t instruct them to take you somewhere “fun” but to the library where you enjoyed your time most. The Harry Potter series is a pretty long series but I feel like many people’s love for reading originated from that series even though it was big and lengthy which just proves to show how the content in a book can shape one’s desire to read more. Thanks for sharing your story! – Nicole Arango
Hi Maddie! I loved this story and learning how your love of reading developed as you grew. As a sibling myself, I relate to your experiences of finding a book stolen or ruined by a sibling – though, being the younger one, it may have more often been the other way around. I also loved Harry Potter as a kid (I think I read the series between fourth and fifth grade), but your newsworthy-level dedication trumps mine. I also love using Goodreads, and my goal is set at 40 books too, but I doubt I’ll be meeting that number this year. As a friend of yours, I love being able to talk about my love of books with you, and our mutual love of reading has always been a core part of our friendship. However, I really appreciated this chance to see how your passion has evolved over time, and led you to be the reader you are today. I can’t wait to read more from you this year!
P.S.: Thanks for the JFK book! 😉
Loved reading about your relationship with reading! Great pics.