YA Indie Carnival: Books I’m Grateful For & Why!

THERE ARE SOOOOO MANY! But here’s my shortlist.

I’m sure a lot of you were fabulous readers in high school. I wasn’t. I was FAR from a great reader. I am still a SUPER slow reader. And so, English was torture for me. I was always behind. Always trying to catch up. And so, I never truly enjoyed the stories that I had to read for class. It was a constant struggle. But, one day, the trumpets played and the sun came out and I was assigned to read The Martian Chronicles and I flew through its pages. It was the first book I got excited about. Really excited about. I saw everything so clearly in my mind. Thank you, Ray Bradbury. And, as fate would have it, I lived in the same town as Ray Bradbury. I tried many times to see him speak at our local library, but always found the event had sold out by the time I got there. So I’m very grateful I get to thank him here in the ether. If it wasn’t for The Martian Chronicles, I’m not sure I would have turned into a reader, however late it truly did happen.

Well, at the risk of my repeating myself…I’ll just have to share my post about My Judy Blume moment here. It says all there is to say about Forever for me. I grew up in the 70s. ‘nough said.

Ah, the school play. In middle school I was cast in the adaptation of this book into a play. It was a big reach for middle schoolers to perform this play. But our Speech teacher Mr. Post, was such a great drama teacher. I wanted to be an actress so bad and he didn’t blink an eye. He said I could make it happen. He believed in me. And so did the drama teachers in high school. Even though my life took me down a different path, I hope that the empathy I learned through acting serves me well as a writer. Thank you so much Mr. Post and Doc Wingler my drama teachers and, of course, Paul Zindel. Your book gave me wings.

My kids went to a co-operative nursery school. We moms all took turns helping. The school was in South Pasadena and it brought in speakers from time to time. One night in 1990 changed my life. I listened to Jim Trelease speak about reading aloud to kids. Not just to toddlers with picture books, but reading to kids their whole lives. It so inspired me that my girls and I read books all the way up until they went to college. We all read to each other. It’s so much fun! I have very fond memories of these days with my girls. It’s how I discovered children’s literature, as you know I wasn’t a big reader. And so, my daughters and I heard many stories for the first time. We discovered new worlds together. Thank you Roald Dahl and Lynn Reid Banks and too many authors to list here. But, if you are ever looking for a great suggestion for a read-aloud, open up The Read Aloud Handbook! Thank you so much Jim Trelease for your humor and encouragement, my girls and I are so very grateful!

Don’t you just love listening to a friend? The best books sound like friends. I wrapped myself up in the world of The Whistle Stop Cafe so completely that it stuck with me for a very long time. I loved the way the story incorporated newspaper clippings too. This novel helped me to find a whole other world of literature, a literary kind that casts a spell over a reader. I am so very grateful for Fannie Flag’s power to enchant. I needed this book.

What books are you grateful for? I’m dying to know! Leave a comment to share yours, if you like.

What book are the other Carnis grateful for? Click here to see!