Banned Book Week Day 1: Goosebumps by R.L. Stine

Happy Banned Book Week everyone! Every day this week we will be posting about a Banned Book or series that we absolutely love.

Today, I'm kicking it off with the Goosebumps series. This series was passed down to me by my older brothers and once my sister was old enough I was able to pass it down to her. Once I started reading these books I just couldn't put them down;  I actually want to reread the series as well as picking up some of the books that I'm missing from the collection. They were super fun to read and I have to admit that to this day it's one of my favorite series upon others that might appear throughout this week. If you or your child is looking for a good book series that involves different monsters and creatures we highly recommend the Goosebumps series. Let us know in the comments if you have read the series and which book is your favorite.

-Paige

Why do I read?

Why do I read? I often find myself pondering this question in the middle of the night, when I can’t sleep and my thoughts are the only ones keeping me company. I’m a reader for various reasons. In fact, I can’t just give you a reason. It’s not only that I am fascinated as to how authors connect words to form beautiful sentences. How do they do it?! It’s not only that some stories are so inspiring that once you are done reading the book, you think anything is possible. It’s not the gorgeous illustrations on children’s books. It’s so many things.

I started to read books when my parents decided to move from Los Angeles to the city we currently live. I remember that I loved going to the library in Los Angeles. My mom would take me to the Florence Library in Los Angeles. I loved it! My mom would sit on one of those small children’s chair and watch me as I picked a book to read. Who am I kidding? I picked lots of books. She had to put some books back because the walk back home was exhausting. Carrying all those books and a bag full of pan dulce plus a gallon of milk can be hard. (Okay, I know this library deserves another story.)

 At the elementary school I attended I loved the library. The library was a small place filled with giant plush toys on top of the bookshelves. I vividly remember a huge Clifford. All the tables had dark blue castle-shaped pencil holders. I love that library. Yet, I don’t remember reading much.I just remember going to the library.

So we moved to this new city in 2000. Honestly, I thought it was the worst thing that happened to me as a kid in the middle of 4th grade. In my mind, I was so like the girl version of Scottie Smalls. I did not have many friends in this new boring city. So I found solace in books. No one could bother me and no one could judge me because I did not have nice, pretty clothes or shoes. The book that comes to mind is Faith and the Electric Dogs by Patrick Jennings. I read this book over and over and over. I may have shed a tear here and there, I just wanted to be able to get in a box and fly away like Faith!

Then, my teacher Ms. Owen’s began reading to us each day after recess this book called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Little did I know, what this book would do for me and so many kids my age. So I found a friend in reading. Books were one of my first friends, when I moved from Los Angeles.

Life did not get any easier in middle school. Once again, I was an outcast. Same story but meaner kids. The library was my safe haven. Let’s be honest, bullies don’t really go to the library. In high school, I read so many books and I met one of the most kindest librarians. Now this is another story for another day.

A few years later, I read because I just … love reading! I love being able to read and learn new information or escape to a different place with the comfort of a warm cup of tea by my side. Now that I work with middle school kids, I hope to help them find a book that makes them lifelong readers.  

Post by Raisa

Killers of the Flower Moon By David Grann

Hey, all!

We hope everyone's been doing well. I would like to apologize for not posting some book reviews in awhile. School and work has started up again for us; So we're trying to get back into the swing of things. We'll be posting book reviews as often as we possibly can. Now on to the book review.

Now, I don't know about all of you but I love murder-mystery books. When Flowers of the Killer Moon by David Grann came out I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. If you're not sure what this book is about here’s a little bit that you can expect to read about. This is the story of a  true-life murder mystery that took place in the 1920s. David Genn reveals a shocking crime, where twenty-four Native Americans were murdered. Reading about the historical tragedy really makes you think about how unfair life was. This book has made me think that from the past we have made it pretty far but of course, there still is some unfairness in this world. Now, that I've read this book not only have I learned so much about what our nation has gone through but it shows us how the FBI has come to be to help prevent and stop things like this from recurring in our history.

It's kinda sad that I have never heard of this tragedy before, especially since it happened about 100 years ago. With that being said without giving a lot away. I highly recommend this book not only is it a fast and good read but it's also a great book if you're interested and love to learn more about History.

Book reviewed by Paige