Young blogger featured in Farmington Voice Classroom email – Farmington Voice
In October 2018, we told you about a local 10-year-old whose love of reading led her to start a book review blog.
“Elena Reads” is still going strong and, starting this week, Elena’s reviews will be featured in our weekly “Classroom” email. The email shares Farmington Public Schools news and information, as well as links to resources for parents.
The Farmington Voice “Classroom” email is delivered to our daily email subscribers on Sunday evenings. Not a subscriber? Sign up here: farmingtonvoice.com/sign-up/.
We asked Elena, now a 7th grader, to share a bit about her work:
How long have you been blogging and what got you started?
I have been blogging ever since I was nine, and in the fourth grade. I had always loved to read, and I’d devour the books on my teacher’s bookshelf. But I realized one thing stayed constant in all of the books I read in her classroom: all of the main characters were white. Growing up with two parents who also loved to read, my bookshelves were packed with diversity. I couldn’t help but wonder about the kids in my classroom. Were they exposed to as much representation in the books they were reading? Then a local author suggested I start a blog because of my love for reading. So I thought if I shared my thoughts on the diverse books I read, others could come to my blog and read books that showed a variety of people through the pages. And my website took off!
What do you love most about reading?
When I pick up a book, I suddenly am somewhere else. It’s like time stops and I’ve teleported to this new place someone created with words. I think of it as a movie inside my head, although I have more freedom. The author does usually describe how the characters look, sound, or maybe even smell; but my imagination is in control.
You emphasize diversity in books, why is that important to you?
Diversity is so important in books because when we see ourselves on the cover of a novel we really liked, we start to believe in ourselves and know that we matter. We also need to see more of others cultures and beliefs in the books we read. When this happens we will be more accepting and open to differences. In the long run our world will have more unity instead of division.
What do you hope readers take away from your posts?
There are a lot of amazing books out there just waiting to be read, so I hope readers find a book on my blog that really sparks their attention. And, I hope I have inspired them to read books featuring people of all different races, ethnicities, and religions, etc.
