Virginia's Virtual Bookshelf

1. The Boxcar Children, originally by Gertrude Chandler Warner

I was read this series every night before bed as a child, and it greatly influenced my love of literature and my values as a person. I can still remember my mother’s voice, and how she’d lick her thumb to turn the old pages. This book connects to the theme of why literature is taught. It doesn’t have to be in a classroom. My love of literature was planted in me as a young girl, and grew as I matured. After we read the first book together, I craved more. With over one hundred books, the first nineteen from the original author, I never tired of hearing of their adventures. Even now, I can recall the stories without hesitation- they’re ingrained in my memory. The curious and caring nature of the children influenced me as a person, since I basically grew up with them. This series, especially the first book, has shaped me as a person by instilling family values in my little five-year-old heart and nurturing my growing mind and soul. I’m a better person for having grown up with these books, and I couldn’t imagine my childhood without them.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter was the series that really made me fall in love with books and reading. I read The Sorcerer’s Stone when I was 10, so you can imagine my disappointment when my 11th birthday came and went without a letter from Hogwarts. This book connects to the theme of why we read literature. For me, reading Harry Potter was an escape from a dull school life into one of magic. I quickly read one book after the other, more times than I can count. The majority of my adolescence has memories associated with my love of Harry Potter- including making friends with people based purely on that fact. This book, in fact the entire series, has shaped me into the young adult I am today. It inspired me to persevere no matter the adversity I face, and that "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

3. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

I read Gathering Blue in the 3rd grade, when my love of reading was still a small sapling, just beginning to grow. I had just found it in the library one day and decided to read it, before even reading it predecessor, The Giver. I had judged the book by its cover, sue me-- but it led me to where I am today. The originality of the ideas in the novel were so amazing to me, I was in love with her writing style and the way the words came to life. Personally, this book connects to the theme of why authors write literature-- to create a world outside our own. Experiencing another’s life in a universe different from my own was what sealed the deal for me. I loved reading. Gathering Blue helped me get there.

4. Wing Nut by Mary Jane Auch

Wing Nut was another random library find that shaped me more as a person than perhaps any other book ever has. Most people have never heard of it, but it deeply impacted me. I read it when I was 8 years old, and the loving nature of the main character’s mother and the wacky old man and his purple martin birds were so original that I felt as if I knew them. This book connects to the theme of why literature is read. It felt so personal to me, the relationship between this mother and her son and their crazy, messed up life. It felt like a gift, to see a glimpse of their life. I often find myself thinking back on the book and its characters, wondering how my own view of them has changed as I grew up. I’d like to go back and read it again, to be able to fully understand how the novel influenced my personality and my character.

5. Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice was a recent addition to my repertoire, but a much needed one. Personally, I don’t mind reading Shakespeare- again, it’s like a glimpse into another world. I enjoyed reading Merchant of Venice for its humor and interesting characters, and the original intent behind the writing. How we read and understand Shakespeare has changed over the ages, and reading it in the twenty-first century is an adventure all its own. For me, this connects to the theme of why literature is taught. It’s important to honor and analyze famous texts and keep them alive, to ensure that we see where literature came from and how it’s changed throughout the ages. Reading this play influenced me by encouraging me to look at things from multiple angles and examine how others view situations and take their point of view into account.