Thread by @Cajsa

My elementary school library did not allow K-2 kids to read the books on the upright shelves until 3rd grade. We had to read the books in bins, Eloise, Curious George, etc. I had read all of them and was reading big books at home. 1/
#OneGoodThing #MothersDay

During library period I would look at the books I could not check out and was totally captured by the title Les Miserables which I, of course pronounced wrong. I wanted to read it so bad, but the librarian said no, only books in bins 2/ #OneGoodThing #MothersDay

I told Mom and she wrote a note saying I had her permission to read books above my grade level. The librarian tore it up and said that rules were rules. So no Les Miserables. I told Mom, she muttered a few things & wrote a note for that exact book 3/ #OneGoodThing #MothersDay

The librarian again said no and so I said something to her and was sent to the principal's office and Mom had to come to school to discuss my discipline. The principal told mom that I (first grader) had called the librarian a bourgeois fascist 4/ #OneGoodThing #MothersDay

Mom asked if she let me borrow the book. The Principal said of course not. So Mom said, "Well, then she is a bourgeois fascist. Where do you think she learned the phrase?" 5/ #onegoodthing #MothersDay

Then Mom drove me fifty miles to a town with a bookstore where she bought me Les Miserables and told me to be sure and sit right in front of the librarian while I was reading it. 6/ #onegoodthing #MothersDay

Then she got me a county library card and wrote a note excusing me from school for the time period when the county bookmobile came to town (during school hours) 7/ #onegoodthing #MothersDay

And so I read Les Miserables in 1st grade and much of it went over my head, I'm sure. But every page I read felt sweet and powerful. 8/8 #onegoodthing #MothersDay