BY KIRI MCKELLAR-ANGUS
RESIDENT IN OTTERSHAW
AGED 14
I discovered how much I love reading when we were learning to read in year 2 of school (aged 6). We had to read a certain amount of small, children’s books to get onto different levels in our guided reading lessons, and I enjoyed this as each book I read felt like an accomplishment. Soon after, I started reading the Harry Potter books, which helped me find my love of fantasy books. I was given other books as presents, broadening the range of books I read and my love of other genres such as sci-fi and post-apocalyptic fiction. I find that reading has helped me a lot in my school work as it widens my vocabulary, teaches me more about spelling, punctuation and grammar, and how to write well which is useful for English, History and answering exam questions. It has also helped increase my imagination which helps me in creative subjects like art, dance and drama. Books have taught me about the injustice of inequality, to stand up for what you believe in, and the importance of nature. Reading has also helped me find an interest in writing stories, inspiring me to try and get a job as an author when I am older.