TOP 10 books to start your reading career with

From love books to Netflix marathons or vice versa?

The act of reading, especially when it involves spending time with books willingly in our free time comes easily to some and is difficult for others, but with a deliberate effort it can be improved with time by first focusing on the books which are closer to one’s interest (“love books”). A few examples of ‘classic & fun evergreen’ books that already won the heart of millions of young readers around the globe through their sensational writing, well-designed characters and fantastic twists and turns – not a coincidence that some recently got a screen adaptation as well:

–         J. K. Rowling – Harry Potter

–         Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians

–         Jonathan Stroud – The Bartimaeus Trilogy

–         Peter Freund – Laura

–         Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald – The Circle of Magic

–         Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black – Spiderwick Chronicles

–         Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider

–         Pierdomenico Baccalario – Ulysses Moore

–         Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments

–         Andrzej Sapkowski – The Witcher

+1 book from the top of our pyramid to “test” more advanced readers:

–         Simon Sinek – Leaders Eat Last

Reading quality books like on the list are often memorable experiences and leave lifelong impressions behind (Helterbran, 2009). Although, “a story speaks to each person in a similar fashion” (Narvaez, 2002, p. 156), the decoding of these lessons may vary depending on differences in skills and background knowledge – each reader constructing a unique representation of the text based on their own personality which brings up the possible role of the parents / teachers at early stages in the process to have the desired impact (right moral understandings). During the active engagement (with books), we receive and interpret new information, absorb new ideas and from all of this we try to create conceptual networks schemas mixing the new information with the past experiences for future usage. We are giving birth to these so-called schemas by discovering similarities and recurrences among different experiences which will serve as a guidance for obtaining and structuring further information (Narvaez, 2002).

The magical connection with books

These books represent an inspiration and stories of virtue because they contain the motivations and aspirations of heroes (but also villains) who face a variety of moral conflicts. Throughout the text the reader tested the same way, living through the same moral dilemmas where the crossroads are given whether we choose to emulate the heroes’ paths or a very different one (Nash, 1997). We often get attached to certain “media characters” (e.g. Harry or Hermione) with whom we feel certain types of similarities – either physical and mental characteristics (Liebers & Schramm, 2017) – (or sometimes even differences can work as a magnet) creating a strong, emotional bond with their stories, feeling intimately connected to their fate during their adventure. People perceive others who resemble them as approving and confirming their own convictions and traits (Liebers & Schramm, 2017), encompassing character traits, motivations and goals, feelings, and relationships (Prior et al., 2012).

The opportunity for holistic growth and development usually largely depends on this connection since these heroes (or villains) seem to inspire and motivate us to create similar scenarios in our own ‘stories’ (see more about heroes here). These characters stand as a role model for many, having a strong influence on them, almost as strong as a real person can have (Beniario & Sari, 2019). As Kiefer (2010) observed, with time we tend to forget the book and the whole story, but we still remember the main characters and their cathartic actions being the driving engines of the stories, living for nearly a lifetime vivid in our memory.

Do you still remember who was your favourite book character?

Can you find any similarities between the two of you? Why/why not? 

So, just to summarise what to do before challenging 500-page-long textbooks? Start in little, with (entertaining) stories you like and with time you will be faster, books will be more ‘friendlier’ and then you can level up and move to more difficult readings with more information (and unfortunately usually less entertaining as shown in the pyramid).

Sources:

Almerico, G. M. (2014). Building Character through Literacy with Children’s Literature. Research in Higher Education Journal, 26, 1-13.

Beniario., & Sari, I. (2019). The Development of English Reading Materials Integrated into Character Values on English Subject through Scientific Approach at Grade XI of MA KM.M Padang Panjang. KnE Social Sciences, 3(14), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i14.4302

Bennett, W. (1993). The Book of Virtues. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Griszbacher, N., Kemény, I., & Varga, Á. (2022). The Echoes of Our Favourite Childhood Figures: Examining the Role of Disney in Lifelong Character Development Through Its Generational Fairy Tales. GiLE Journal of Skills Development, 2(2), 51–72. https://doi.org/10.52398/gjsd.2022.v2.i2.pp51-72

Helterbran, V. R. (2009). Linking Character Education and Global Understanding through Children’s Picture Books. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 45(2), 69-73, https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2009.10516674

Kiefer, B. Z., & Tyson, C. A. (2010). Charlotte Huck’s children’s literature: A brief guide. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Liebers, N., & Schramm, H. (2017). Friends in books: The influence of character attributes and the reading experience on parasocial relationships and romances. Poetics, 65, 12-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2017.10.001

Narvaez, D. (2002). Does Reading Moral Stories Build Character?. Educational Psychology Review, 14(2), 155-171. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23363543

Nash, R. J. (1997). Answering the Virtuecrats: A Moral Conversation on Character Education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

O’Sullivan, S. (2004). Books to live by: Using children’s literature for character education. The Reading Teacher, 57(7), 640-645.

Prior, L. A., Willson, A., & Martinez, M. (2012). Picture This: Visual Literacy as a Pathway to Character Understanding. The Reading Teacher, 66(3), 195–206. https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.01098

Ryan, K., & Bohlin, K. E. (1999). Building Character in Schools: Practical Ways To Bring Moral Instruction to Life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc..