ESL Blogs

This week I came across an interesting section on the Scholastic website about celebrity Bookprints. Scholastic defines a "Bookprint" as "a list of five books that leave an indelible mark on our lives, shaping who we are and who we become". 

Do you agree with Scholastic that "You are what you read"? I do. I also believe that books sometimes choose their readers. 

This month I want to know which books have helped shaped you. We don't have to be celebrities for our bookprints to be interesting! Let's get to know each other a little better. 

Your Task

1. Choose 5 books that have left a lasting mark on your life somehow. This means you will never forget reading this book. This book changed or shaped you somehow. Your books do not have to be in English. 

2. Read a few of Scholastic's Celebrity Bookprints for inspiration. 

3. Write five short descriptions of these books and how they have changed or inspired you. 

4. Ask a MyEC friend to write a short bio about you. Include the bio beneath your Bookprint. Provide a name and link to your biographer's page. We don't have to be famous to have bios! Every person in the world leads an interesting life! 

5. (Optional) Create a photo collage with your book covers. Include yourself in the collage if you like. I used fotor.com to make mine. 

My Bookprint 

Corduroy by Don Freeman was one of my first favourite books. I took it out of the library every time I saw it on the shelf. Eventually I got my own copy. My mom sewed a pair of green overalls for one of my teddy bears so that it would look like my favourite storybook character. Corduroy is a curious bear who loves the comforts of home (like me). Corduroy taught me how easy it is to fall in love with books (and bears).  

I've always loved Anne of Green Gables – the books and the movies. I'll never forget going to PEI to see the replica house. I also went to a live version of the play when I was in grade school. Lucy Maud Montgomery is one of a handful of Canadian writers known worldwide. Her characters are loveable and full of drama. Her books make me proud to be a Canadian writer.

The book Kingfisher Days by Susan Coyne was life changing for me. When I finished this book, I knew I wanted to be a mother. I couldn't wait to share my love of story with a daughter. Because of this book, my daughter taught all of her friends how to write to fairies. These little girls are always delighted when they get letters in return.

When I read Gene Hayden's The Follow-Through Factor (non-fiction) I decided to take the plunge and publish my first novel. I am a person who has a lot of ideas, but I sometimes need a special push to follow through with them. Hayden's book also taught me that sometimes a book falls into your lap at just the right time. (This happened to me last night at the bookstore, too.)

Erin Morgenstein's The Night Circus is my latest favourite book. I enjoyed introducing this novel to my bookclub friends this year. Despite my love for this book, many of my friends couldn't get into it. This was hard for me to accept at first, but it has been a good learning experience for me as a writer. No matter what you write, you can't please everyone! This is even true for bestsellers.

Tara's Bio:  Written by MyEC member Nafis on 24 July 2013 (You can listen to Nafis read this bio.)

[Thank you, Nafis! You are a very generous biographer!]

If it wasn’t because of her courage, dedication, persistence and perseverance, learning and teaching English would not be possible on Englishclub. Tara Benwell is a highly creative administrator of MyEnglishClub, and has been providing English language learning materials for both students and teachers since 2003. Her English Language learning materials, audio recordings, podcasts and videos have assisted hundreds of thousands of English learners and teachers around the world. As she always mentions: “Creating a dream is like raising a child. You have to support it”, she has supported MyEC like her child. By her creative ideas, writing challenges and dedication, MyEC has more than ninety two thousands members right now. As an editor, her enthusiasm for promoting English language brought her an award for editing of EnglishClub and Telfnet. Teflnet is EnglishClub’s sister site and provides English resources for teachers.

Tara Benwell is Canadian and has two children, one daughter and a son. Despite being a mother, motherhood did not stop her from pursuing her passion.  In an interview with Wren Emerson, she mentions: “I’ve learned to write with kids' movies on in the background, with a husband practising his golf swing in the sunroom, and with a noise of the modern conveniences of a dishwasher, a dryer and the next door neighbour’s central vac.”[1] The result of such perseverance and discipline is a fictional book, “The Proper Order of Things”, for adults.  The book was published two years ago and was praised by a publisher. The publisher wrote:”...What a great book! Crazy family, really fine writing, good narrative. I loved every minute of reading it....Please tell Tara how impressed I am with the novel and her writing, and congratulate her. And, please do keep me in mind for any of her future projects.”[2] The novel is inspired by a true story of circus fire in Connecticut in 1944 and a music icon, Neil Diamond.  Caroline, the main character, lives with her mentally sick mother. The mother has decided to adopt neighbour’s son whose parents left him. In addition to writing novels, Tara is interested in writing children’s books. “Happy Campers” books tell eco-friendly stories for children. These stories are accessible on the iPad and will be coming out in July or August 2013.

Tara is not only an approachable and compassionate teacher, but also a very intelligent and attractive friend. When I was hopeless, Tara advised me:” Ask, believe, visualize and receive.”   Because of her dedication, persistence and encouragement, English learners around the globe are able to learn English in a friendly environment, and of course, the world is certainly beautiful with her presence.