Yvonne Boeskool

Spring 2018
My Literary Lineage
When I look back at the reading moments in my life that make me who I am, it all starts
with the Little Golden Book, Tickle Me, My Name is Elmo. It’s a well-known fact in my family
that that is the first book I ever read – and I read it by myself, to my mom, to my teacher, to my
uncle on vacation in Texas, to everybody – but it wasn’t until last year that I finally admitted
that I wasn’t really reading it. I had the whole book memorized right down to the page turns.
But although I wasn’t reading it initially, I knew it so well that I could track the words as I said
them and this not only helped with sight words as I’m a very visual learner, but also boosted my
confidence as a reader.
My childhood bookshelf was located right inside the door of the room shared by my
sister and I, and held a substantial collection of Little Golden Books, Bible story collections,
various picture books – my favorite being the Lyle the Crocodile series – and later, chapter
books consisting mainly of Junie B. Jones. Junie B. was the literary character that I best related
to in elementary school. Although she was louder and maybe more obnoxious than quiet little
me, she was the same level of awkward, curious, and persistent.
When I hit upper elementary at Fremont Christian School, I was sucked into the world of
mystery novels and particularly became a fan of Nancy Drew as well as some lesser known
series including one that I remember loving but the name “Titus” is all I can recall of it. As I
transitioned into middle school and became preoccupied with the budding extra-curricular
opportunities such as dance, basketball, and 4-H, my time spent reading for pleasure slowly
declined. Therefore, most of the books I remember reading in middle school were assigned in
class, including The Westing Game – one of my all-time favorite mystery novels.
There in middle school, I had the absolute best English teacher who made every book so
much more fun and interesting. Ms. Wygmans even made the dumbest book I ever read, Joey
Pigza Swallowed the Key, less unbearable – including the moment where Joey hears the key
kerplunk down into the toilet. She made such an impact on my appreciation for literature and
writing by using effective reading and writing activities that allowed me to be creative, such as
using the prompts from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg for us to create
short stories. She passed away after a long battle with cancer just a few years ago.
With Ms. Wygmans, we read books that explored new and diverse time periods,
cultures, and situations. When we read a book, we were completely invested in it and became
a part of it. I remember reading Esperanza Rising and participating in Hispanic culture, making
yarn dolls and trying papaya. I remember reading The Wednesday Wars and exploring the
Vietnam War period and Shakespeare by going to the “Wednesday Wars” play at Calvin and
meeting with Gary D. Schmidt himself to learn about the writing process. I remember reading
Warriors Don’t Cry about the Civil Rights movement and Little Rock Nine and crying my eyes out
because I could so easily put myself into the book and tune out those around me. The most
powerful books I ever read were historical fiction like these, including the only book I
remember reading voluntarily in middle school – Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn. This
sparked a love for ghost stories as well, inspiring other reading choices such as the Ruined
series by Paula Morris in early high school.
 Again in high school, the true book gems I found were not when I was mining on my
own, but with the guidance of class assignments. Freshman year, it began with The Outsiders,
and the feeling I got from that book reflected the feeling I got from my new, public school
setting. I felt uncomfortable and alone in an environment that was too worldly and shocking
for my liking. But this book made me think. It made me aware of the way that some kids live
and now looking back on it, I wonder how much it influenced my interest in urban education.
To Kill a Mockingbird did similarly in that it opened my eyes to a world of misfortune that I was
not familiar with. Like Esperanza and Warriors Don’t Cry, these books made me mounds more
culturally and racially aware than was possible in everyday life in Fremont, MI. The Great
Gatsby made me see hope in people and hope in myself. And lastly, Fahrenheit 451 led me
back to appreciating literature and seeing the value in it in the midst of our changing world.
I’m not the best reader – reading is consistently my lowest ACT score while English is my
highest – and I’m not sure if it’s inherited or if it’s because I still don’t often read for fun. But
I’m trying to get back into reading. I’ve recently rediscovered children’s literature by taking
“Writing Books for Children” from Professor Hettinga and “Children’s Literature” from Gary D.
Schmidt himself. This past interim, I went on the “New England Saints” trip with both of them.
I learned so much about writing and history, although much of it went over my head because I
never studied Thoreau, Hawthorne, or Emerson. But there were bits and pieces that made the
trip so worth it for me. My favorite part was eating dinner at the home of Chris Van Allsburg
and chatting with him about his writing, illustration, his books being made into movies, and his
own literary lineage. On the bus back from that excursion, Ms. Wygmans crossed my mind
again. She would have been so proud and excited that I had these experiences and I wish I
could tell her all about them.
After exploring so many used book stores in New England, I’ve started to expand my
collection of children’s and young adult literature. I’m excited to someday be challenged to
create an environment that encourages reading and motivate my students to enjoy books too.