You’ve finished all your homework, except for one assignment—your daily 30 minute reading session. As you sit in your bed with your book open and reading light on, you wonder to yourself, “Does any of this reading really matter?”

Reading is an often discussed topic, especially for middle schoolers. Nationwide, teachers and parents worry that kids are not reading enough and spending most of their time on their phones. But in a recent “Ursus” straw poll, roughly 71 percent (25 kids) of the 35 students we asked, read for fun, not because of school.

That’s good news for educators, but no one had to tell Anna Ji, a 7th grade student in Blue Pod, because she loves to read and understands its many benefits. “I think reading matters because it increases your vocabulary, and you get to learn a lot of skills and information from reading books.”

Also, our survey shows that kids who do read for fun read a ton. When asked around how many books they read in a month, five out of the 25 who read for fun said that they read more than 10 books per month, another set of five to six to 10 books, and nine read four to five. The last five read about one to three books in one month. These people are page turners!

According to Bedford librarian Mrs. Kelly Zatorsky, reading as a middle school kid “gives you a break from the real world.” She also adds “The more you read, the better you are at writing, reading, and speaking.

For those who don’t enjoy reading, it might not be all your fault. According to a Scholastic Kids and Family Reading report, 41 percent of students have trouble finding books they like. This is important because that same report said, nine out of 10 students have said that their favorite books are the ones they picked out themselves.

So choice matters. Help Bob find his way through the school hallways to the school library so he can escape the daily grind and improve his writing, thinking and speaking skills.

Let’s all go to the library!