Reviewer Spotlight

Christie, Independence Regional Library

Does the Harry Potter series count? I’m hooked like everyone else. I know that the books started as juvenile but have progressed to young adult and even the last one is classified as adult fiction last time I looked. I really enjoy the fresh look at magic that Rowling has done for the genre. Setting it in the contemporary world really helps everyone to identify with it. My hope is that Harry Potter will inspire children to get excited about school the same way that Star Trek inspired young people into careers such as engineering and communications.

I think that somewhere in the book there must be something the reader can identify with, whether that is a character, a location, a goal, or a special item. That way they have something to carry them through the story. Also the reader should learn something from the story. Whether it’s a moral or just how to behave around others. A good story will always make you want to revisit that world and experience it again.

Getting excited about it. If you are excited about a book it will inspire others to want to read it too. Patrons can tell if you really enjoyed the book or not.

My favorite children’s book was the The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. My grandmother always put books from the library on the nightstand for me to read whenever I came over to visit her. This one really turned me on to fantasy books. They have been my favorite genre ever since.

Reading opens the mind to ideas in ways that might be difficult to understand otherwise. Topics that might be hard to talk about in person can be spoken of and learned from in new ways. This can be anything from difficult math problems and science experiments to social issues and culture. It is one of the most essential skills needed in a democratic society.