Why Do We Read?

My 2011 APEs have given me a great year. Today, we reflected on why we read and books we value. Above (click to be able to read their stars) are the books they shared today for our final Book Celebration Day, and below are their final thoughts on the power of reading.

• Books inspire us to do different ... life-changing ... things.
• Books teach us who we want to be and who we do not want to be.
• Books bring us to times when things weren't so difficult and when messages were still important but simpler.
• Books help us understand and be able to cope with difficult situations we go through in life.
• Books help us connect to other people.

As I said to my students today, their final bullet is a perfect one to end with. Literature connected me to my 2011 amazing APE readers, and I will miss them next year.