where has reading taken you?

For the holidays, I decided to ask my nieces and nephews to name a goal or wish they had for the coming year so that I could choose a thoughtful gift that would encourage and motivate them. To my utter delight, two of them responded with reading-related goals (though no less delightful were the wishes of my other niece and nephew, who want to go to Disney and make more cookies -- these kids play seriously, let me tell you).

But back to the reading. This morning NPR featured a story on the newly-appointed Ambassador for Youth Literature, Walter Dean Myers. The new ambassador has chosen the slogan, "Reading is Not Optional." Give the interview a listen (or a read). Ambassador Myers is delightful, the interviewer is one of my NPR-nerd crushes, and the story is a serious and uplifting reminder of the places reading takes us in our imaginations and in fulfilling our individual potential.

Where has reading taken you?