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[Music playing]

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Good afternoon everybody. I'm a pro. Eight

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years ago I got the biggest and best

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present ever of my life. After reading

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books every night since I was about two,

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my mom opened a children's book store. I

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still remember the day I stepped into

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the warm, lovely place. Sunshine glowing

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on the bookshelves, and I smelled the

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scent of books, and I still remember the

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happy moment my mom held me in her arms

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and read me a book. In an old house in Paris

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that was covered with vines lived

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twelve little girls

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in two straight lines. Time passed and

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I grew from a little kid who was often

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mistaken for a boy, to a big girl

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standing in front of you on this stage.

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However, the love of reading has been

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kept unchanged, except that I don't suck

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my fingers anymore while I'm reading.

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Having the freedom to read and the

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freedom to choose, is one of the best

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gifts my mom ever gave me. Also, running a

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bookstore is not always a good choice

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for making money.

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Mom never regret quitting her high

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salary job and devoting herself to the

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small bookstore. She is very proud of her

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work that brings a passion for reading

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to me, and other children. Surrounded by

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books, I am enthusiastic about reading. I

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bring a book with me

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wherever I go. I read in

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restaurants while I'm waiting for a meal.

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I read in the Metro on my way to school.

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I read every night before I go to sleep.

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To read is it to voyage through time to

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visit places you will never otherwise

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know, to experience the world of

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imagination, adventure, and discovery. Take

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Alice in Wonderland as an example. When I

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read that book, I felt Alice

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into a Wonderland. It's so weird,

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so visual. There, rabbits can talk.

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Playing cards can walk, and cats can

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vanish at will. After I read that book,

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my mind kept wanting to return to

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Wonderland and experience all those

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nonsense again. So, I drew this picture. I

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drew the Cheshire Cat, the caterpillar on

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the giant mushroom, and the girl. I don't

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know if the girl is Alice or myself. I was

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too young when I drew that picture, but I

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really wish that I could have lived

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inside that book. So you can see, in the

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book, Alice followed

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a rabbit and tumbled down in

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Wonderland, whereas in the real world a

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book can always lead you to escape the

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boredom of everyday life, and enter a

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magic world. For example, we can take the

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Magic School Bus to explore the human

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body, or we can escape into nature by

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reading fabrice book of insects. We can

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even travel back to ancient Greece or

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Rome in the series of Horrible History.

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With a book, we can go anywhere and be

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anything. Really it's also a good way for

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us to connect with others. It's amazing

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how when you're reading a book on a train,

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a stranger next to you says "hey I love

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that book" - this is a true story between

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me and Yoyo. We then immediately started a

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discussion about characters in that book.

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Yoyo's mom and my mom also found that

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they had a lot in common.

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Last year, our families took a trip to

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Singapore together. This is our

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first day in Singapore. We went to a big

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bookstore and spent half a day there.

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This is not the only story.

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We would share fun "Did You Know" books facts

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with my friends, or help other readers my

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age find a book that's just right for

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them. We build up relationships and get

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to know each other better. Also, I believe

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that when parents read to their children,

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it brings back good memories from their

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own childhood. This is a strong

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relationship that can get rid of gaps in-

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between generations. Another amazing

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thing about reading is

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when you are reading, in a way, you're

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engaging in a conversation with the author.

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One of the authors I admire very much is

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Bill Bryson. He was humorous and witty.

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When reading his great book, a short

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story of nearly everything, I feel like

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I'm accompanying the author as he

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travels through space and time, from the

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Big Bang to the rise of civilization. His

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deep curiosity of the world we live in,

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and the encyclopedia knowledge of his

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topics impressed and touched me. Another

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beloved author is

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Roald Dahl whose hilarious,

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breathtaking books are so attractive

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that I don't even want the story to end. I

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have read all of his books for children.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The

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Witches, BFG, and many others. When asked

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in an interview about how do you get

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your story ideas, the author answered, "it

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always starts with a little seed of idea,

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a little germ. Every time I get a great

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idea I will pull out a notebook and

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write it down, or else it would disappear

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like a dream". These tips helped me a lot

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when I first started writing. I use my

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idea notebook to write down my seeds of

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ideas, and in the story of Memphis, Roald

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Dahl told us "watch with glittering eyes the

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whole world around you because the

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greatest secrets are always hidden in

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the most unlikely places". I was inspired

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when I read this.

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I'd taken advice not only from a

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great author, but also from a wise man who

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had a keen insight into our world. Just

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like Roald Dahl's character the BFG, Big

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Friendly Giant, whose job was to collect

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and blow pleasantries to small children.

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Roald Dahl, Bill Bryson, Sheldon Ellis

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Silberstein, Dr. Seuss, and other writers

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did blow big dreams to me and every

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other reader. I dream that one day I can

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make magic of my own as an author for

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myself, my friends, my kids, and other

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children. Here, I want to share a poem

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I wrote on a kite I made in

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art class. Soaring above us like a bird, is

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a big, amazing kite, the wind is howling,

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making it dance what a beautiful sight".

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Yes what a beautiful sight, but I know

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making this dream come true will be a

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very long and slow process. I will keep

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on reading and writing every day and

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above all, keep watching with glittering

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eyes the whole world around me just like

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Roald Dahl. And there's one thing I know

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for sure. Reading will be a lifelong love

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for me. I read because one life

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is just not enough. Today I stand here to

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share my reading stories with you because

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I believe that reading can light up the

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whole world.

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So, why not surround yourself with books.

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Sit down quietly and enjoy the words, the

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pictures, and how they fit together so

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beautifully. At the end of my speech, I

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would like to recite one of my favorite

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poems.

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No one believes the whole book to ever

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come from something as simple as

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butterflies that don't even live that

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long, but on paper, sayings can live

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forever, on paper, a butterfly never dies.

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Thank you.