Benefits of Reading

 Hello everyone and welcome back! Sometimes you may wonder, why should I read? Or...Will I get anything out of it? Well, you may not get any cash or prizes, but reading definitely has a lot to offer! 

Reading Reduces Stress 

It has become a scientifically proven fact that reading reduces stress. It lowers your heart rate and eases your muscles. This is a wonderful stress-reliever that is healthy for your body and your soul. However, You always want to make sure that you pick a book that makes you feel calm, interested, and happy. Check out my blog post on How to Choose a Great Book for more details on how to pick YOUR perfect book!

Reading Makes You Smarter!

Yes, it's true! Reading can actually make you smarter. When you read, you get exposed to new vocabulary, which leads to good scores on tests. You also learn new things (the concepts in the books), and this is a huge benefit as well.  As a result of knowing more vocabulary, your writing skills improve as well. Reading also boosts your brain power. Think of reading like a workout for your brain. When you work your muscles out, they stay in shape and strong. It works the same way for your brain. So, working out your brain makes it smarter and reading is your workout! Plus, when you work out your brain, you are also less likely to get Alzheimer disease.

Reading Makes You More Empathetic

When you read a book, you tend to start to care about what happens next. So, when the characters in the book fall, you feel sad. When they emerge victorious, you feel happy. This makes you more empathetic with everyone around you.  This only works in fiction though, because fiction has characters. This helps you in your later life, because it is a necessary skill to have in your social life.

Reading Helps You Sleep Better

Reading is a great addition to your bedtime routine! It alters your state of mind and changes your consciousness (not in a bad way, in a good way!) This helps you to sleep. As mentioned before, it also helps you to be relaxed and reduces stress. This leads to a better sleep. Make sure to read a real, paper book though. Reading an e-book could even keep you awake longer.

Reading Helps to Fight Depression

People who are depressed often feel alone and like nobody is there for them. When you read, you feel less alone. When you escape into an imaginary world, you feel happy and stress-free. In this case, nonfiction books are good for you too. Reading a non-fiction positivity or self-help book is equally beneficial. 

Reading Could Help you to Live Longer!

Since reading helps prevent certain brain-related conditions and helps keep your brain in shape, you have a longer life expectancy. There was even a scientific case study that was conducted by Yale University that proved this. They had 3 groups, 2 who read and 1 who did not. The people who read lived longer! Reading also strengthens survival skills and all of the benefits mentioned above help you to live longer as well!

Articles to Check Out!

This blog post would not have been possible without the help of these cool articles! If you would like, you can go check them out!

Source 1- Benefits of Reading Books: How it Can Positively Change Your Life

Source 2- Reading: The Secret to Living A Longer Life

Source 3- Reading For Stress Relief

Source 4- Is Reading Before Bed A Good Idea

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

Weekly Book Wonder: Unveiling Our Featured Book/Author (4/28)

 Hello Everyone! This week's featured book is Merci Suarez Changes Gears written by Meg Medina.

Photo Credit to Brave and Kind Books

Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

This book is about a girl named Merci Suarez, who is adjusting to a new private school where she has a scholarship. She is also adjusting to 6th grade, and she starts to see how different it is.  Throughout the book, she deals with a mean girl named Edna, who is rich and constantly teases her and hurts her feelings. It is shown that she lives in 3 houses with her whole family, and her beloved grandfather also starts to behave strangely, but nobody will tell her the truth.

My Opinion

I really liked this book! I read it over and over again. I found it very relatable, because the main character faces real challenges that actually happen in the 6th grade. I also loved how she has a fierce and loving personality. I liked how in the book, Merci learns to overcome challenges and accept reality. These are really good life lessons.

Age Rating

I would recommend this book for ages 10 -14. This book is all about 6th grade (Middle School) life and a disease is shown at one point, which may affect younger kids. Kids over the age of 14 may get bored at , because this book is about Middle School. This book contains great morals, values, and life lessons though, and it is a great read for older kids! 

How to Choose A Great Book!

A lot of the times, you might wonder, what book should I choose? How do I look for a good book?  Will I like the book or not? Today, I am here to answer all of your questions, so next time, when you will go to the library, you will know exactly what to look for. Make sure you read till the end for some great book suggestions! 

How Do I Choose A Book?

Trying to choose a book? Don't know where to start? Well, think about the genre you like! Don't know what genre you like? Here is a list of some genres:

- Mystery (Contains suspense and action!)

- Historical Fiction (Teaches history through fiction!)

- Fantasy (Think: Unicorns, Rainbows, Ponies, and Mermaids)

- Horror (Sends chills up your spine)

- Comedy (Makes you laugh so hard, your stomach hurts)

- Action (Characters keep moving and jumping from place to place)

- Realistic Fiction (Seems like it happened? Nope)

- Nonfiction (Tells you facts. This one's true!)

- Graphic Novels (See a bunch of pictures and only some words? That's a graphic novel)

- Mythological Fiction (Books that are fiction, but have references with mythology)

Then, once you've got your genre finalized, here are some of my tips on what to do next:

• If you are at the library, you can go to one of their computers and then pull up a book you have already read and loved. Then, you can click on the book and scroll down. You should be able to see a section that says: "More Like This." Browse some of those books and see if any of them appeal to you! DISCLAIMER- Only pick books that are age appropriate!
• You can also ask a librarian. Most of the times, a librarian will know many good books. Make sure to let him/her know what types of books you are looking for though!
• If you are not at the library, or none of these tips work. Always ask your friends! Some of the best books I have read have come from suggestions from my friends. Your friends will probably have some great books for you and then you can talk about those books together!
• When you are choosing a book, make sure it is your level. You want to really be able to enjoy the book and make sure it is not over too fast or that it does not take forever to read!

Some Suggestions

Here are some of my favorite books for some of the genres I personally enjoy. Please let me know if you would like a detailed review on any of them! for now, I will just give the names of the books and the authors.

Fantasy

•  Keeper of the lost cities by Shannon Messenger (Ages 11+), 
• Geronimo Stilton: Kingdom of Fantasy Series (Ages 7+), 
•  Emily Windsnap Series by Liz Kessler (Ages 9+)

Mystery 

• The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude chandler Warner (Ages 7 or 8+)
• Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene (NOTE- Some of these books are written for younger children and some are for older children, so age rating depends)

Horror

•  The Secret Grave by Lois Ruby (Ages 10+)

Comedy

• Dork Diaries Series by Rachel Rene Russel (Ages 9+)

Historical Fiction

•  Magic Treehouse Series  by Mary Pope Osborne (Ages 6-9), 
• The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson  (Ages 8+)

Nonfiction

• World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky (Ages 8+), 
• All National Geographic Books (Age varies on topic)

Graphic Novels

• Smile,
• Sisters
• Baby-Sitters Club (Series)
• Drama 
•  Guts 

All written by Raina Telgemier 

NOTE- (Ages may vary on each book, but general guidance ages 9+)

Thank you so much for reading my post today!

Weekly Book Wonder: Unveiling Our Featured Book/Author (4/21)

 Hello everyone! This week's featured book is Anne of Green Gables written by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Photo Credit to Amazon.com

Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

This book is about a young orphan named Anne, who comes to  Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, residing at a residence called "Green Gables." Matthew and Marilla are expecting a boy, but decide to keep Anne, despite her being a girl. Anne lives in a little town called "Avonlea". She always wants to please everyone, is kind, and does not like the way she looks. She even gets teased for her looks at one point. She has a very close friend named Diana and they have many adventures.  In the book, we can see Anne's life from a young girl to an adult.

My opinion

I personally really enjoyed this book. The book was first published in 1908 , and I really enjoyed how the author developed Anne's character, and I loved her bubbly, cheerful personality. The book contains a lot of good life lessons. It is relatable at some points, such as where Anne makes a mistake and gets upset, but learns it is okay to make mistakes & learns something out of it.

Age Rating

 I would recommend this book to 10 and up. Anne goes through some experiences which may emotionally affect younger kids. The book also has vocabulary and depth, so younger kids may not understand parts of the book. This is a great read for adults as well!

Welcome to my Blog! A Little About Me.

 Hello everyone and thank you so much for visiting my blog! My name is Sonia and I am 12 years old. My favorite colors are gold, lavender, and pink. love writing, roller skating, dance, chess, swimming, and most of all..READING! I absolutely love to read! It takes me to places I can't go and connects me to people I can't meet! It is what kept me going through all of Covid-19. I also love to learn new languages and I currently know 3. I speak Marathi (an Indian language), English, and Spanish. On my blog, you will find book recommendations, descriptions, reviews, and authors. I label what age group the books are for. Each week, I will have a featured book and author. Thank you again for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoy it!