March Spring Break Advice

It’s that time of year again, the most anticipated week of a long school year: Spring Break. On Friday the 29th, we won’t have school. For some, this is a holiday. For others though, this is an extra day off of school before the rest of break. My suggestion is to dedicate this day, or another day towards the beginning of break, to finish all of your school work. Some of us may have late assignments hanging over our heads, and I encourage those of you to get them done as soon as possible. Schoolwork may not be fun but getting done feels great. If you’re all up to date with work and none of your teachers assigned work over the break then I guess you’re off the hook.

Now that that's out of the way, here’s my real advice: relax, recover, and read a good book. In this edition of the Blue Devil Beat, there are a few great book reviews but if you look at past editions, linked in the tab on the top left of your screen, you can find even more articles reviewing beloved books from our dedicated writers. Our book reviews cover historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, my personal favorite Young Adult realistic fiction novels, etc. 

Lately, I’ve read and enjoyed a great deal of literature appropriate for students our age: All 3 of The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins as well as her prequel to the trilogy The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, The Inconceivable Life of Quinn by Marianna Baer, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, and many more. I also read the first two books in the trilogy by Holly Jackson, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood. While I have heard positive commentary regarding the third book in the series, As Good as Dead, I will admit that the list of books on my must-read list has multiplied faster than I can consume them.

If you believe that you don’t enjoy reading, I challenge you to search for books with reviews that label it “fast-paced” or “an easy read.” When I’m in a rut and can’t seem to keep up my reading pace, I find that it’s typically because I can’t get through a novel due to its overly descriptive chapters that do little to move the plot along. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy some vivid imagery but it can really lull a novel when you’re looking for a story and end up snoring into your paperback.

This past week I was out of town, so I read two and a half novels during my travel days. This, though, is uncommon for the majority of kids our age. If you don’t read at a quick pace many teachers will tell you to find a new book. I’m here to tell you that it could be the book, but more than likely it is because you’re not used to reading and you haven’t built it into your schedule yet. Reading isn’t always easy; sometimes I go weeks without reading at all. Sometimes I pick up a book before bed and accidentally pull an all-nighter to finish it. Most common, once reading becomes a habit, is that like me you’ll read a chapter or two whenever you get the chance and finish a book every couple of weeks.

Like most, I do enjoy scrolling through and posting on social media, hanging out with friends, and participating in sports, clubs, and extracurricular activities. All of those activities, however, rely heavily on the satisfaction of others. I like to read because it is solely for me and my imagination. 

My advice is to attempt to fit reading into your schedule over this Spring Break, you never know what you might learn about yourself! And besides, you’ve already read through this whole article, why stop now?