Brian's Bookshelf

My Development: Books Instrumental to my Personal Growth

Brian Kleeger

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Magic Tree House - Dinosaurs after Dark

                               

(by Mary Pope Osborne)

Around when I entered second grade, I struggled with reading and lagged far behind my peers in terms of comprehension. One day I decided to pick up a copy of Magic Tree House laying on some classroom shelf, purely because I was interested in the cover. I had no clue that this singular act would spark a lifelong passion for literature; I was simply fascinated by the picture of a little boy riding a dinosaur. After devouring Dinosaurs after Dark in a single day and becoming enamored with this mystical sense of wonder it evoked, I could not be stopped. I felt as if I was adventuring along with Jack and his sister Annie as they traversed through different time periods or landscapes. It was almost as if I had been given free tickets to travel anywhere I desired! I went on to read the rest of the existing Magic Tree House books, and began to carry a book or two wherever I went. In fact, I would even get in trouble for reading in class during lessons or staying up way past my bedtime with a flashlight under the covers. I can safely say that reading Osborne's Magic Tree House series served as a life-changing introduction into the vast world of literature.

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Maximum Ride series

(by James Patterson)

At the request of a school librarian I had befriended, I picked up a copy of Maximum Ride in 3rd grade. This sweet librarian would pass away later that year, but her contribution to my self-development lives on. Maximum Ride was the first real "chapter book" series I read in full, thus paving the way for more lengthy and complex texts. Patterson's beginning book in the series stands at 413 pages, which doesn't seem like much in retrospect. However, as a little kid 413 pages may as well have been a million pages! I had never read such a daunting text before. With the encouragement of my school's librarian, I tackled the book and finished it much more quickly than I had ever anticipated. Patterson's use of magical realism throughout his series helped acclimate me to fictitious works of literature and grow a true love for the genre. Furthermore, Maximum Ride's length allowed for me to begin reading lengthier novels and expand my general reading capabilities.

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The Keys to the Kingdom series

(by Garth Nix)

Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series helped cement my initial love for reading, and worked to supplement my early writing skills as well. Nix manages to craft a world laden with grandiose structures, exhaustively descriptive elements, and many metaphorical comparisons. These literary elements allowed for me to improve my own writing skills and more appreciate the beauty a well-crafted sentence can offer. The intricately woven images remind me of Dante's Inferno, which crafted a detailed (and hellish) landscape for readers through literary devices. Nix's storytelling also maintained my hunger for awe-inspiring literature, encouraging me to search for more heavily descriptive fiction as my appreciation for the genre grew. I distinctly recall ordering the last book of the series - Lord Sunday - and looking forward to it for weeks. When it finally arrived on a dreary Thursday evening, I was so excited to read it that I was nearly shaking!

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Harry Potter series

(by J.K. Rowling)

Harry Potter is the go-to choice for most people when they discuss life-changing literature, but this does not make it an any less worthy choice. Harry Potter's popularity instead substantiates its importance and influence to so many different individuals. The world of Harry Potter is bright and full of adventure around every corner, promising a wonderful ride to any who take the plunge into Hogwarts. Much as readers might gain a sense of compassion after reading Shylock's emotional appeal for understanding, Harry Potter helped teach me the values of empathy and compassion in subtle ways. I sympathized with Harry's abusive upbringing, appreciated Dumbledore's unadulterated compassion toward his students, and recognized the wickedness of his enemies while understanding their warped perspectives. J.K. Rowling's magnum opus was essential to the cultivation of my early sense of empathy. These values were never explicitly forced on me as a reader, but instead offered as something to consider.

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Persepolis

(by Marjane Satrapi)

Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel is a fascinating look into her troubled childhood under the shadow of Iran's 1979 revolution. Persepolis is the first graphic novel I ever read, and it expanded my sense of empathy for those living under circumstances different than mine. Marjane had hopes and interests very similar to many of us as a child. She liked Michael Jackson, hated having the government tell her how to dress, and had trouble figuring out her place in the world. Marjane is a person like any other with those unique attributes, and they only serve make me question why Americans are taught to hate Iran. Marjane did not choose to be born in Iran nor at that specific time period, so it is only right to fight against those who paint the world with wide bristles. Her memories made me happy, sad, amused, and curious at different times. At certain moments I even drew comparisons to my own childhood, which helped increase my feelings of empathy toward her story.