Guest blogger Jorge Goyco is the author of Stories From Papi.

The book that got me hooked was Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. On the surface, it’s a bunch of silly stories about students and teachers in a school that was built incorrectly, but a little digging reveals morals, life lessons and individuality.

For me, it came at a time when everything about school was losing my interest except for my friends. I had stopped doing my homework, and was getting sent to the office more often than not for talking, throwing things and pranks. I made friends easily and could talk to anyone about anything (I’m still like that), so when I read this book, it really confirmed my thoughts and got me noticing how different and interesting everyone around me really was, even the teachers.

I had been feeling out of place in school, looking forward to recess and lunchtime, and this book made me feel like my “out-of-place” feeling was really OK and normal, and it made me feel like I actually fit in perfectly. I realized that my thoughts of feeling like I was “different” were OK to have, and being different was what it was all about.

I remember thinking, “How could someone think of these things, and write them down?” I read that book many times, each time loving the strangeness and silliness of each of the characters. Each chapter was a development of one of the students or faculty of Wayside School, but they all interconnected in interesting and funny ways. I loved it, and I dug for more stories like this one.

The library became one of my favorite places, and as soon as I finished one book, I’d borrow another. Beverly Cleary was the next author to keep me buried with Ralph S. Mouse, Henry, and Ramona. It’s so great thinking about how these books affected me. I get such a warm feeling thinking about that even if things weren’t OK everywhere around me, I could get into a book and be just fine. And that the books are still around for me to read whenever I want is just wonderful.

I re-borrow some of these books every once in a while and I get the same feelings and thoughts I had when I first read them.

I remember riding the bus home from school and being one the last stops, which meant that all the kids who pushed me out of the back seats weren’t there, so I could have whatever back seat I wanted…for a couple of glorious blocks. Or finding a dime on the street so I could wait in line in the cafeteria and buy a chocolate milk at lunch (my parents always made my lunch so I never got to enjoy cafeteria food). Or getting picked up by my mom in the middle of the day to get my retainer adjusted, knowing that I’d get a soda or some gummy bears before going back to school.

Being young was fun. I’m sorry…IS fun :)

I look at my current writings and see some definite influences from Louis Sachar: short stories using character development with interconnected stories, silly and interesting idiosyncrasies that define my characters and their surroundings, morals and life lessons weaved in to a seemingly surface story.

I love that the book that got me hooked was Sideways Stories from Wayside School. I love that my kids love books. We go to the library every week and push the borrowing limit of 50 books at a time. I love stories, and my kids can’t get enough of them.