To the Editor:

How many books have you read this year?  I think that children don't read enough books anymore. Instead, they substitute video games, playing, or other activities for reading. But there are strengths of reading. Here are a few reasons.

Reading has been proven to make you smarter by expanding your vocabulary, improving your fluency and comprehension skills, and helping your writing skills and memory. I personally have learned many new words and things from reading, as have many other people.

Reading and being able to understand and process what you've read is a very important life skill. I personally get tons of reading homework, such as: Read Chapter 10 and then record your thoughts on the plot and how so-and-so changed it. Or, how did the big event from Chapter 8 change the plot and the way the characters think?

Do you know how to answer these questions? The way to do that is to read more. The more you read, the more things you learn and the better you get at reading.

Sure, many kids say that reading is boring because they only read when the teachers make them and they have to record their thoughts about the book, but if you can find the right book that interests you, it isn't bad.

The last reason you should read is that it can actually be fun. Books can take you places you thought you'd never see. A book can teach you facts and tell you secrets. You can experience so many different situations from so many different perspectives. As long as you have got the right book for you, it can be fun.

I love to read, mainly sci-fi but also many other genres. Books are an escape for me from the real world. With a book, I can relax and think about something if I need to or just take a break from a stressful task.

So, why don't you go pick up a book from the library and give reading a try? After all, if you have the right book, you never know what could happen.

Summer Stedge

Farnsworth Middle School