UtopYA 2015.......My reading nirvana!

I am a reading specialist.  I'll be honest, I think I'm the luckiest person in the world because I get paid to read with kids.  I love reading with them, helping them discover the love of reading, and helping those kids who have trouble reading discover the new world of books.  As a reading specialist, I'm the only one at my building.  So it can be a little lonely.  Then I kept hearing about this UtopYA 2015 convention from a few friends.

I thought, eh, I'll check it out.  UN.....BE...LIEVABLE!!!!!!  I walked in to a room full of authors and readers and thought, "I have found my people!".  Everywhere I looked there were books.  Everywhere I turned there were excited people ready and willing to talk about their books.  Even more amazing???  They were so kind and willing to take me by the hand and introduce me to other authors.  No cut-throat competition here!  I was embraced and encouraged to wander around, taking in the sights and sounds.  I have discovered new authors to read.  Sitting on my desk in the read pile is Honey Queen by Christina Mercer.  I won it in a drawing and can't WAIT to start reading it.  I visited my favorite local author, C.J. Redwine and picked up an autographed copy of Deliverance, the last in her trilagy.  I met Myrna McEntire, another local author.  When she heard I was building a new reading program, she was kind enough to donate her book, hourglass.  My students will squeal with joy when they see that Myrna autographed the book!  I met Stacey O'Neale, writer of the Shadow Prince.  We bonded over a shared last name. :)

I could go on and on because the experience was so amazing.  It was so amazing that I was inspired to start this blog.  I am always looking for books for students.  Why not share what I find?  So here we have Reading Matters 2 Kids.  Not only am I going to read the stories and give my opinion; but I am also going to share kid's opinions!   When I started working with my students, I often heard "I hate to read!".  I would tell them they just hadn't found the right book yet.  Yes, my students had reading difficulties to overcome; but they also had to be motivated to read.  I hope that my book reviews do exactly that:  motivate them to be readers.  If I can do that, I have done my job well.  A motivated reader will overcome reading difficulties.

So thank you to all of the authors that I met at UtopYA 2015.  You have inspired me to read more, share what I have read, and continue to try to inspire my students as well.  Go on over to www.utopiacon.com for more information about next year's event.  Their motto is #fightforyourwrite.   Hope to see you there!

Reading matters,
Dena