The Martian book changed all that. After the cover closed on that modest chapter book nothing was the same. Reading became my most treasured pastime, a reason to get up every morning and tuck into bed early.
Oddly, I can't even recall the title or what exactly it was about. I remember it was a 'hot' book that year, and all of the kids in class were clamoring to borrow it next from the school library. This was also the year that I read the "Little House" series. It was the year we were studying the Oregon trail in school and I ordered a book called "Plain Girl" from the Scholastic catalog, thinking I'd get another great book about pioneers.
Imagine my surprise when it arrived and turned out to be a book about an Amish girl in Pennsylvania. I had never heard of the Amish or even much about New England. I was hooked. I now had a window into worlds I never knew existed -- a magic key that unlocked many doors.