I was just enjoying it as a reader, enjoying a nice story.

As I read it, I reread it, then I could see the deeper meaning.

And yet first, you simply enjoyed it as a story.

Exactly.

Oh, I love that.

Hey readers, I'm Ann Bogall, and this is What Should I Read Next, Episode 249.

Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader.

What should I read next?

We don't get bossy on the show.

What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read.

Every week we'll talk all things books and reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest.

readers, do you remember the first book that made you fall in love with reading?

For today's guest, an encounter with the babysitters club number four, Mary Ann

saves the day in elementary school, launched a lifelong love of reading and a special fondness

for middle grade novels.

Aphoma Umasi is a freelance writer, editor, and children's book blogger living in Nigeria.

I enjoyed talking with her about the benefits of reading middle grade novels as an adult,

the books that shaped her as a reader, and reading the dictionary for fun, yes, really.

Aphoma is a voracious reader of middle grade novels.

Those are books with a target audience of readers around ages 9 to 12,

and I have my work cut out for me to recommend middle grade books she hasn't read yet,

plus one adult book that I think she'll love.

...