"My Favorite Place"
Jenna Gardner
Oakridge PTA
Salt Lake City, UT
My Favorite Place
I have been to icy Alaska, walked across the Gobi desert, visited dark Arabia, scaled castle walls in medieval England and dined with royalty in Spain. With my family I have explored more places than could be dreamed, lined up clues to solve the world's great mysteries, cried as people we knew and loved have died, and reached out of our spaceship to touch planets, stars and galaxies. My favorite place in the world is curled up with my family reading mysteries, fantasies, biographies, and even classical books. Each member of our family loves to read, but when we read out loud together, we go places together and it means more to me than anything else we share.
My family began reading together long before I was born. With the addition of each child, our family huddle just got bigger. As the youngest member of my family, I earn the spot closest to the reader. I love to sit leaning over my dad's shoulder to make corrections if he misses a word or sentence. I listen hard and hope my dad won't look at the clock and make us go to bed without hearing the ending. I lose myself in the story and forget that I am tired, or that my foot has fallen asleep from being in the same position too long. For an hour, nothing matters but my family, the closeness, and the words that surround and enclose us.
The next day I can't wait till everyone returns from school and work, sports events and activities. We all get ready to go to bed and then we meet in a designated spot - my sister's big bed, our fuzzy green couch, the big floor pillows in the basement. We huddle close together and then we embark on an adventure to see what situation Tom Sawyer will get himself into, to listen to the passionate speeches of Martin Luther King, to reach the top of the magical mountain with Rowan of Rin, to sit at the Round Table with King Arthur, or to try to figure out the mystery of Sherlock Holmes. When we finally reach the end of a book, we all sit quiet for a minute to truly close the story and then we talk about the book. We share what we liked, what didn't work in the story, what characters we felt most like and why the author wrote such a book.
My family all has different opinions of the books we read, but we all like to listen to each other and share our own thoughts. We all know what is ahead as well. It is time to quickly find another book to read. Our family votes on which book to read next. Everyone suggests a title and then we quickly raise hands to see what title will win. No one is too disappointed if the book they wanted isn't chosen, we know we will get to them all!
My favorite place is curled right up to my dad as he reads. He lets us each take turns reading so we can hear everyone do there own version of characters and their voices. My mom and my sisters all like to read but each of us makes sure my dad gets the longest turn as reader. He can imitate lots of amazing accents; just by using his voice he can make us believe he is 5 different people. I can see the characters in my head when my dad is speaking and I am floating away on the journey that the book holds.
Before we begin a mystery or an adventure book, we like to guess what will happen in the end. We will each read the back cover of the book and then make a wild guess at how the story will end. We write down our guess and each of us places them in an envelope. After we finish reading the book, we will look at each of our predictions and see who was closest. My mom likes to put in something really funny and we all laugh at how far off we were.
Our family is so busy and there some nights we all can't eat dinner together. Our time together reading is something to look forward to. Showers are hurried, homework is finished, chores are wrapped up, all because we want to enjoy each other's company at the very end of the day. Just sharing a story is enough for us to feel like we are a family and that we are all important to each other.
I don't need a million dollars, I don't need to fly to exotic places, I don't wish I had anyone's life but my own. My favorite place is the couch, the floor, the bed or the tent where my family huddles close to enjoy a book we will treasure together. These are the memories that mean the most to me. These are the snapshots that I hold in my head and heart rather than a travel guide or a photo album. I've been places, I've lived adventures, I've dreamed big dreams....all in the pages of the books that my family turns together.
Jenna Gardner
Oakridge PTA
Salt Lake City, UT
I have been to icy Alaska, walked across the Gobi desert, visited dark Arabia, scaled castle walls in medieval England and dined with royalty in Spain. With my family I have explored more places than could be dreamed, lined up clues to solve the world's great mysteries, cried as people we knew and loved have died, and reached out of our spaceship to touch planets, stars and galaxies. My favorite place in the world is curled up with my family reading mysteries, fantasies, biographies, and even classical books. Each member of our family loves to read, but when we read out loud together, we go places together and it means more to me than anything else we share.
My family began reading together long before I was born. With the addition of each child, our family huddle just got bigger. As the youngest member of my family, I earn the spot closest to the reader. I love to sit leaning over my dad's shoulder to make corrections if he misses a word or sentence. I listen hard and hope my dad won't look at the clock and make us go to bed without hearing the ending. I lose myself in the story and forget that I am tired, or that my foot has fallen asleep from being in the same position too long. For an hour, nothing matters but my family, the closeness, and the words that surround and enclose us.
The next day I can't wait till everyone returns from school and work, sports events and activities. We all get ready to go to bed and then we meet in a designated spot - my sister's big bed, our fuzzy green couch, the big floor pillows in the basement. We huddle close together and then we embark on an adventure to see what situation Tom Sawyer will get himself into, to listen to the passionate speeches of Martin Luther King, to reach the top of the magical mountain with Rowan of Rin, to sit at the Round Table with King Arthur, or to try to figure out the mystery of Sherlock Holmes. When we finally reach the end of a book, we all sit quiet for a minute to truly close the story and then we talk about the book. We share what we liked, what didn't work in the story, what characters we felt most like and why the author wrote such a book.
My family all has different opinions of the books we read, but we all like to listen to each other and share our own thoughts. We all know what is ahead as well. It is time to quickly find another book to read. Our family votes on which book to read next. Everyone suggests a title and then we quickly raise hands to see what title will win. No one is too disappointed if the book they wanted isn't chosen, we know we will get to them all!
My favorite place is curled right up to my dad as he reads. He lets us each take turns reading so we can hear everyone do there own version of characters and their voices. My mom and my sisters all like to read but each of us makes sure my dad gets the longest turn as reader. He can imitate lots of amazing accents; just by using his voice he can make us believe he is 5 different people. I can see the characters in my head when my dad is speaking and I am floating away on the journey that the book holds.
Before we begin a mystery or an adventure book, we like to guess what will happen in the end. We will each read the back cover of the book and then make a wild guess at how the story will end. We write down our guess and each of us places them in an envelope. After we finish reading the book, we will look at each of our predictions and see who was closest. My mom likes to put in something really funny and we all laugh at how far off we were.
Our family is so busy and there some nights we all can't eat dinner together. Our time together reading is something to look forward to. Showers are hurried, homework is finished, chores are wrapped up, all because we want to enjoy each other's company at the very end of the day. Just sharing a story is enough for us to feel like we are a family and that we are all important to each other.
I don't need a million dollars, I don't need to fly to exotic places, I don't wish I had anyone's life but my own. My favorite place is the couch, the floor, the bed or the tent where my family huddles close to enjoy a book we will treasure together. These are the memories that mean the most to me. These are the snapshots that I hold in my head and heart rather than a travel guide or a photo album. I've been places, I've lived adventures, I've dreamed big dreams....all in the pages of the books that my family turns together.
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