Happy New Year! It’s been a great year of reading, and I have put together a list of the most meaningful books to me.  My top 5 books of 2018 are Lucky Strike, The Westing Game, The Benefits of Being an Octopus, Full Cicada Moon,  and Grenade.  Two of the books that impacted me are The Benefits of Being an Octopus and The Westing Game.  The Benefits of Being an Octopus impacted me because I finally got to know how hard it is for some kids in the world. This book is about a girl who’s living in poverty with her mother and younger siblings.  She has to juggle family life with school and her mom’s mean boyfriend.  I think some people like me who are very fortunate take our things for granted without knowing that right now, kids our age are struggling.  This book really put poverty in perspective – and with the main character a girl, adding some diversity.  Another book that made a change in me was The Westing Game.  This book is about a game to find out how Sam Westing died.  Their are sixteen contestants and they are all trying to find their way to the truth.  I read it in a group, so we cold all come together to shared our thoughts on the contestants and predictions.  While reading this book, I was always on my toes an ready for more.  This book is also a great read for kids to visualize and learn old terms.  This book helped me learn that reading can be a fun activity, not just reading because I have to or because I am assigned to.  I can read because I want to.  And this book helped teach me that.  Overall, I thought the five books that were my best in 2018 were The Westing Game, Lucky Strike, Full Cicada Moon, Grenade, and The Benefits of Being an Octopus.