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BOOKS / AUTHORS / CHILDHOOD READING
The First Book I Read as a Child
A story about my childhood reading
I never expected a book to change everything. At ten years old, I wasn’t a reader — at least, not in the way other kids were. My bedroom was filled with posters of old movie stars, all of them frozen in time, staring down at me as I sat on my bed, wondering what else the world had to offer. I didn’t know it yet, but that book — the one my friend raved about — would be the key to unlocking everything.
She had already read it, her eyes wide with excitement as she spoke of the adventures inside. The Famous Five, she called it by Enid Blyton, and her words were laced with something I hadn’t heard before. Passion. She insisted it was the best thing she’d ever read.
I was skeptical, but I could never resist a good challenge. I had to know what all the fuss was about. So, I borrowed the book from her, bringing it home, where the quiet of my bedroom wrapped around me like a blanket. I hesitated for a moment — books had always been a bit intimidating to me — but something in the air seemed to whisper that this would be different.
I opened the first page, and from there, everything changed.
