By Josey Morris
Every day she disappears from her reality to visit a new world.
The different worlds she visits are influenced by the many stories she reads.
Sophomore Makayla Thorpe attempts to make sure has time for herself every day to immerse herself in a story.
“I love lots of different stories and experiencing different worlds in my mind,” Thorpe said.
Like Thorpe, there are many students here at Delta who read avidly every day.
From a parent reading to you before bedtime, to learning how to read, to it becoming an everyday activity in your life. Some students read only when they are told to by their teachers, but many read for the enjoyment of it.
Thorpe has been reading continuously since her transition from elementary to middle school. This started from her reading the Percy Jackson series.
Since her start in reading, Thorpe has had an ongoing love for the fantasy genre.
Currently she is reading the fantasy series Balefire by Cate Tiernan.
Reading has been a daily activity in her life since she was little. Thorpe said her mom used to always give books to her siblings and her to read. This taught them at an early age to love books.
Even though her mom got her started, Thorpe’s love for reading grew on her own. Since Thorpe reads consistently every day, she has to know what she is going to read next after she finishes a current book..
Going against the common saying, Thorpe picks her next books by judging its cover.
While most would not choose that method, it works for Thorpe.
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen is a book that left a great impact on Thorpe. She said it has changed her views and life itself for her.
Along for the Ride is about a young girl who is struggling making connections and with her parents’ divorce. She ends up moving to live with her father and meets a guy that opens her up to the world’s experiences. The main girl finds who she is throughout this book.
Thorpe has been around reading for most of her life, building special memories along the way.
One of these memories took place in her fourth grade class. Thorpe said she had such a great experience when her teacher, Mrs. Kenna Fisher, read her class Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper.
Memories are gained through experiences, and many students around Delta have gained them through books.
One of those students is sophomore Scottie Morris. His memories come from his early childhood.
When Morris was around five years old, whenever he had trouble sleeping, his mother would read him a story to fall asleep. Morris recalls one of the books being a Steamboat Willie children’s book.
Morris got into reading in middle school while reading R.L. Stine. He continued to read almost every day.
Morris reads whenever he has finished all of his assignments or if he has nothing else to do.
Morris enjoys the horror fiction and thriller genres, with his favorite authors being R.L. Stine and Stephen King.
While most of the books Morris reads fall under these categories, he still reads the backs of the books to see what he should read next.
On average, Morris said it takes him anywhere from three days to a week to finish a book.
“Most books, whenever I’m down, I just feel like running back up after reading some of them,” he said.
Reading can change perspectives for a person. Senior Patrick Ginder was changed after reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
Ginder said this book taught him to appreciate more deeply the time he has on this Earth. He says it is the best book he’s read in the past year.
The books Ginder reads mainly are nonfiction.
“If you like anything you really want to learn about, there’s a book for it,” Ginder said. “A good book will go into detail so you’ll get all the information you need.”
Ginder got into reading in elementary when he had to earn Accelerated Reading points. He said he strived to have the most points, so it influenced him to read more books.
Now that Ginder is a senior he tries to read whenever he has downtime. Instead of being on social media, he uses that time to read.
Ginder has times where he doesn’t have the motivation to read, but he is able to get back into his routine eventually.
“It’s like a fire ignites and you read up a storm,” Ginder said.
Reading up a storm is something very familiar with junior Rowan Hinds. She has a goal to read 80 books in 2025. Having already read 22 books so far in the first three months of the year, that goal is getting closer for her.
Hinds said reading provides a way to calm herself down and relieve her stress.
Being someone who likes to plan, Hinds typically reads when she gets home from tennis practice. She reads every day for an hour and sometimes longer.
Hinds said depending on how busy she is she’ll read a book in a day or two books in a week.
Her go-to genres are usually thriller and romance. She said the favorite book she has read in the past year is The Crash, a thriller by Freida McFadden.
Hinds also enjoys Christian books.
“They show you how to really follow or seek Him in everything you do,” Hinds said. “To do everything for the glory of His name.”
Hinds takes a lot away from the lessons these books teach her. Having these books help give her guidance.
“I’ve always liked reading for classes, so I tried reading on my own time, and it became a hobby,” Hinds said.
Reading these stories has a great impact on all of these students, affecting them in their daily life.
“Such beautiful pieces you can read. It’s just a part of me,” Thorpe said.
