FRATERNAL TWINS by Branden Wang

       There are two categories of reading: school reading and fun reading. Same, right? Well, newsflash, not exactly. They are fraternal twins: alike but not completely alike.

“Schoolly” reading a.k.a school reading is dead boring. Textbook boring! So basically, you read about some Abnormal Aztecs, Mad-as-beef Mound Builders, Mutty (nutty) Mayans, and the Ignorant Incans. Sure, these Indian tribes seem interesting to some people, but in school textbooks, they put the facts in the most boring way as possible. [Don’t get me even started on the Common Core! For those readers who don’t know what the Common Core, in my opinion, it is basically pass the state exam or else you go to summer school.  As a result, kids are panicking like crazy because of this “important” test (the test isn’t important). To prepare for this, since the George W. (pronounced Dubya by Texans) Bush era, teachers have been cramming kids with, no, PLANE LOADS of useless info that won’t help you after the state exam. Well, THANK YOU to the National Governors Association for starting the state exam.] School reading is just like eating tasteless school lunch salami.

         Onto fun reading, a magical reading, which soothes the body. In this enchanted type of reading, you can read anything your brain desires: the bloody Civil War, the secret N.E.R.D.S. who are like sly foxes, the crazy unicorn of Magrus (Bad Unicorn) who is categorized as a cyco killer, or the environmentalist Noah who is like a wise person. (Flush) Not fun, eh? Well, what if I tell you that these books are suspenseful, particular, and super-powered. And the best of all books is Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Shenkn and illustrated by Tim Robinson. History is best as Shenkn writes it because he gives it a twist of seriousness and creativity with mind-blowing pictures guiding you through the “civil action”. Fun reading crunches your brain with crazy creative writing.

         There is an obvious difference between these two types of readings, the “fun level”. School reading is dull and like the boring color beige. On the other hand, fun reading is stupendous and like the color of neon green. Another difference between these two types of reading lies in whether the reading is mandatory. School reading is mandatory even after you go on strike, refuse to do it, or rip it up (your teacher will just send you to the principal’s office if you do that). However, with fun reading, you can read whenever you want, you could curl up into a ball and read under your blanket when you are sleeping, or rip the book once you finished. By the way, DON’T RIP UP THE BOOK.

         An obvious similarity: you have to read. In school reading, you read about whatever your teacher wants you to read about, and in fun reading, you read about whatever you want. Both fun reading and school reading trigger the mind and connect you to the world. An article I read in school, “Should Schools Ban Cupcakes?”, caused my mind to bubble and question if cupcakes should be banned. Last year I read Secret Agent Sixth Grader 4: Selfies are Forever. The conclusion introduced a mysterious force on the top of the secret agent chain at the schools. That stimulated my imagination and I wondered: who is the top agent in the chain? The fifth saga STILL hasn’t been released yet!

      Reading is for everyone. Every individual has his own interest - historical fiction, autobiographies, realistic fiction, or Shakespeare’s poetry.  Fantasy fiction earns a spot on my top five reading genre list. Currently, I am racing through a book called a Bad Unicorn by Platte F. Clark.  It is making a name in my “Grammy Book Awards”; it is turning out to be one of the best books I have ever read. What genre do you prefer? What book are you reading now?