In the first year of middle school, I experienced my first reading-related academic setback. Because standardized testing showed that I had an above-grade reading level, my middle school placed me in an honors reading class. I was so excited about this and thought that I would enjoy a year of reading. Unfortunately, not only did the teacher, Mrs. Turrentine (known in the hallways as Mrs. Turpentine), have a very stony-faced demeanor which made it seem as if she didn’t like us very much, but she also had a room full of classic novels and stories which she required us to read. I found none that interested me, so I continued to read what I wanted, including the entire Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal, and just did enough work in the class to avoid flunking. I resented her, and I resented the class — but I didn’t let this impact my innate love of reading. So despite this setback, my reading life continued to grow. During the summer, my mother took me to the library again where I circled through the children’s and young adult sections trying to find an interesting book I had not read yet. Coming up empty handed, I decided to ask the librarian for help. I told her about what kinds of books I was looking for -- perhaps science fiction, perhaps mystery, or maybe even a touch of romance. She pondered my request -- and then lead me straight to the grown up section. I had not realized I could look for books there! Emboldened by her permission, I sifted through this new world of books and discovered more favorites, including the Star Trek series of books.