As a seventh grader, I was highly ambitious. I always strove to get As and I beat myself up when I received anything less. So it was a shock to my parents when I was doing poorly in my English class. I had always excelled at reading and writing. It made no sense. The school told me I was "below the level of her classmates." But after some testing, it was determined that not only was I great at English, but that my I was reading at a high school level. So why the poor grades? I was bored. Reading didn't really excite me. I was good at it, and I could read faster than anyone I knew, including my mom, but it never truly pulled me in. I envied those who loved curl up in a ball in the corner and gobble up books. I never did that. Reading was never enjoyable to me, even though I was so damn good at it.
But then, I found J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter books. The magic, friendship, hardship and mystery puled me in. I was hooked. I was swept up into a world far from my own where thirteen-year-olds were important enough to save the world. A world where elves, giants, mermaids and dragons existed and where ordinary people rose above their expectations to do extraordinary things. In a world dominated by electronic media, where 3D, surround sound and even regular television can easily transport people into a different place, stories and books are struggling. But with J.K. Rowling, I didn't need 3D glasses or expensive sound and visual equipment to take me far away. I just needed her perfectly stringed together symphony of words. That's all I needed. And I think that's truly what separates a good author from a great one.
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