Laura Nathan | Writer & Editor

“What Book Got You Hooked?”

This is the question I just tried to answer for First Book, a nonprofit organization that donates books to children in need. I started to say Freckle Juice by Judy Blume because, well, what’s not to love about Judy Blume?

But is that really the book that got me hooked? Upon thinking about it, I wasn’t so sure. I could hear my mother saying, “One smiley lion …” So I knew I had to list Mary Bob Baker’s Smiley Lion Counting Book. After all, I apparently made my mom read this book to me over and over and over, which probably qualifies it as the book that got me hooked on reading. Or rather, being read to.

So what book got you hooked? Until September 15, First Book is asking readers to vote for the book that made them love reading—and select the state to which the organization will donate 50,000 “first” books to children in need. Right now, Kentucky’s gettin’ lucky and leading the way, so if you think another state’s kids should get those books, be sure to vote!