September 23, 2022

It all begins with a good book: Rebecca Schell | My Bookmark

Rebecca Schell (she/they) is a volunteer coordinator in Seattle. She first learned to read in preschool when her dad would read books to her before bed. 

“If they were longer books, he would read a chapter to me and I would always want to read more,” Rebecca says. 

Their favorite book as a child was If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff. In the book, the mouse makes a paper chain. Rebecca remembers creating their own paper chain for their parents as a gift. 

But despite loving to read as a child, Rebecca fell out of love with books when she went to college in 2017. 

“I got very involved with my education and work and never found time to enjoy reading like I did when I was younger,” they say. 

But since graduating, their love for reading has come back in full force. 

“I can finish entire novels in a day and like every passionate reader, my ‘To-Be-Read’ pile is always larger than my completed pile,” Rebecca says. 

One book she wishes was around when she was a kid is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Rebecca read the series for the first time last year and thinks it’s easily one of the best series they have come across during their reading journey. The writing is incredibly powerful and the storyline really supports the social justice messaging within.

Rebecca believes that books serve many powerful functions. They are a source of entertainment as well as knowledge and information. They are also a source of community–you can share a book with a loved one and connect with each other through the words of the author. And, they can impact young readers in a really powerful way. 

“Young students are our future authors, poets, and leaders. It all begins with a good book.”