C.S. Lewis once said, “We read to know we’re not alone.” That certainly describes one of the reasons I read as a kid. Growing up, I attended five grade schools, two junior highs and two high schools. And this was in a time when people tended to stay put. I also wore glasses and had a weird name (Kirby Miltenberger) so new schools weren’t much fun. I quickly learned that, no matter where I went, I could always find a friend between the covers of a book.
I spent so much time with my nose buried in books that one grade school teacher wrote on my report card that I needed “to spend less time with stories and more time with schoolwork.” After that, I worked harder in school, but kept right on reading. Third grade brought a program called SRA – and it ruined me as a reader. You had to start at the lowest level (was it orange?) and pass a test before you could move on to the next color level, and so on. I quickly figured out that the best stories were in the top section (turquoise?) so I rushed through all the other colors to get there. That turned me into a reader who devours, rather than savors.
What did I read outside of school? At my grandpa’s house, I’d disappear into the basement where my dad’s old comics (sadly, long gone) were stored: Batman, Green Lantern, even Little Lulu and Richie Rich. The story line that most fascinated me was the Bizarro world in Superman. The characters looked like they were drawn by Picasso’s slightly demented younger cousin. I vacillated between secretly hoping such an alternate world existed and being terrified that it did.
After trips to the public library, I’d settle in with books like Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, and National Velvet, and those fake biographies of famous people like Florence Nightingale (anyone else old enough to remember those?), and the wonderful Mushroom Planet books by Eleanor Cameron, and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I idolized Encyclopedia Brown’s ability to solve mysteries, and dreamed of becoming a detective just like him (a dream I’ve achieved, in a way, as a writer of historical fiction). Somehow, I totally overlooked classics like Charlotte’s Web or Anne of Green Gables, though I read them later.
At home, I’d get lost in a lovely collection we had put out by Doubleday, called Junior Deluxe Editions. They had colorful bindings and inviting covers and I read and re-read them, especially the fairy tales.
As much as I loved reading as a kid, I did have this one funny quirk: I HATED writing book reports or making dioramas or talking about the books I’d read. I wanted to keep “my” stories and my feelings about them all to myself. Now, I love talking books with anyone who will listen. And even people who might not want to listen. In fact, stop reading this post right now and go read Tom Angleberger’s Horton Halfpott, Linda Urban’s Hound Dog True, or anything by Karen Cushman or Barbara O’Connor!
Bio: Kirby Larson is the author of ten books for young readers,including the 2007 Newbery Honor book, HattieBig Sky. In addition to her historical fiction (The Fences Between Us; TheFriendship Doll), Kirby has partnered with Mary Nethery to write twoaward-winning nonfiction picture books, TwoBobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, and Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine anda Miracle. She also owns a tiara.
Childhoods of Famous Americans, perhaps? We had an entire section of those, and I read them, two at a time, all the way through. I think it was the daily life in historical times that I liked. And I loved SRA for some bizarre reason, probably because I could read about ten of them during language arts class. There’s always some bizarre curricular force shaping what students read, isn’t there?
I remember being motivated by SRA – but I’m a recovering perfectionist. The thought of reading, and then getting a perfect quiz score? Heaven.
Horton Halfpott? Loved it! I’m a serious Angleberger fangirl. That’s a thing, right?
Kirby Larson, you are amazing. Thank you for sharing today.
I remember SRA and the fake biographies. Clara Barton was my favorite. I need to read the Angleberger books but they are always out. Thanks for this, Kirby.
I still have my childhood copy of MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH. It was a Christmas gift from an aunt in the early 60s.
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Love this, Kirby. My favorite is the teacher’s comment. If she could only see little Kirby Miltenberger now. (And thanks for the shout-out. You’re da bomb!)
Much to think about here: leveled books/reading assessments, being a reader who savors rather than devours, and warm memories of childhood faves. I wasn’t so into those fake biographies, but my sister read them all and loved them.
I also find myself thinking about the things I looked forward to at other people’s homes: knowing that each time we visited my Auntie Robin in her drafty farmhouse, “Gnomes” by Wil Huygen, Rien Poortvliet & Brian Froud would be right where I left it, on the table by the rocking chair. I am sure that my parents would have gladly bought me a copy, but part of what made it special was that it was a book I always read when we visited, just in the way you’ve described reading your dad’s comics at your grandpa’s house. Thanks for this post!
Books help the solitary and the lonely, which you must have been sometimes as you moved around. You sparked some memories I had as a child, the oldest by far of cousins with no one to play with when we visited, so I read the Saturday Evening Posts saved for me all year by my grandparents. Thanks for a great trip down your memory lane, & for all your books!
Kirby, like you I LOVE talking books!!!! I will talk and make people listen to me that I know haven’t read the book (whichever one I happen to be talking about at the moment) and probrably won’t. Oh, the joys of a book lover. Yet, even in my thirties, I still hate to write about the books I’ve read. However, I have started a book blog to rectify the situation.
Love your post, Kirby. I am still a reader who devours (probably thanks to programs like the SRA), but then I go back to reread and savor favorites. Not sure why I still do that, but it works for me. And my teachers often told me I needed to spend more time with “real people” and my nose out of my books. Glad I didn’t listen. Thanks for sharing!
Katherine
Thank you for your post! I enjoyed it very much.
Books were my friends in school, too. They still are.
I loved Encyclopedia Brown as a kid, too. And I just discovered Mrs. Piggle Wiggle a few years ago. Fun!
You’ll be happy to know that I don’t assign book reports or dioramas in my classroom.
And I just recently read Horton Halfpott! So funny and such great vocabulary!
I think it’s awesome that an author would post here. As a teacher, I appreciate your work very much. (P.S. My kids loved The Two Bobbies! At least once a day, someone refers to it in my class! A favorite with us!)
Your blog brought back some memories of myself as a shy kid. I made many of my first friends in books. Early on my only friends were books but the characters that I grew to love taught me how to interact in real life.
Thank you for your blog