1 . Reading a book and watching a film are two very different experiences, but it’s normal to have high expectations when a film of a favourite book is made. There are many times I have been pessimistic or even disappointed by a film of a book I love.

The source material for a film may be taken from classic novels, short stories, comic books and stage plays, as well as non-fiction such as biographies and autobiographies, even those written by ghost writers. All can work well, but why do many adaptations and indeed remakes fail with both cinema audiences and critics? And why do some adaptations get lower ratings than others?

A key question is obviously how close to the original the film is. Since a typical film is only around two hours long, it becomes a question for screenwriters to decide what is appropriate for the screen and what to leave out. Screenwriters take creative liberty and sometimes there may be changes to the plot, additions, and even different endings to please producers, directors and test audiences. I, like many people, have often left the cinema feeling “the film is not like the book”.

Another problem area is the cast. Finding actors acceptable to film audiences can mean the difference between success and failure. Readers of the book use their imaginations to visualise characters and have very definite ideas about how characters should look and sound. This is where I think many film adaptations fall down.

Despite the challenges, there have been some highly successful films made from popular books. For me, Jaws, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings all fit this category. And possibly the best proof of a successful adaptation is the James Bond series, the majority of which has been adapted from the 007 novels of Ian Fleming. Perhaps unusually, audiences seem to accept that the actors who have played James Bond have changed so often, although everyone seems to have their favourite. I know I do.

3 . Long before I could read on my own, my mother often read to me from the book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. My mother’s voice changed my world. And many years after that, the read aloud made me a reader.

All these years later, I was in a classroom reading aloud a picture book to a small boy who was troubled by poverty and loneliness. In that moment, in the joy of the read aloud, this boy had an idea that started something big. He said. “Mrs Allyn, let’s make sure everyone knows how good this feels. Let’s have a holiday for the read aloud.”

That led to my creation of World Read Aloud Day six years ago to honor this young boy’s wish for everyone to be able to have a read aloud every day. Since then, World Read Aloud Day has become a worldwide event reaching over one million people in more than 65 countries around the world, a number that is growing every day.

In the 21st century, the message that every child should have the right to read is urgent. There are 57 million children who are not in school and hundreds of millions more who are in school but are not learning. By age four, children from low-income families read far less than those in high-income families.

And yet, the good news is this: A six-year study of children’s reading habits found that reading aloud to kids every day will put them a year ahead of kids who are not read aloud to daily, no matter what kind of family kids are from.

The message is powerfully clear: Reading al oud to children can close the word gap. Children who grow up as readers become better citizens, and every child should have that right to read. So let’s just pay attention to the right to read until all children can do it. And yes, in this way, we can, we will, change the world together.

4 . “A good book is easy to find.” That is the _______ on a sign at Hernando Guanlao’s home in the Makati area of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Guanlao has _______ his home into a free public library. Visitors can borrow the books inside for free. Guanlao says he hopes his library will inspire people to read, _______ the young. The 72-year-old said that his library _______ books that all students can enjoy — from young children in kindergarten to _______ students in grade 12. He calls his library Reading Club 2000, which includes many different kinds of books.

He _______ his library more than 20 years ago when he set 50 books beside the walkway in front of his home. Guanlao’s _______ have grown greatly over the years — thanks to a continuous supply of books from donors.

Speaking of donors, he said, “They just _______ boxes of books outside my house.” He has also begun _______ books himself by sending reading materials to public schools in faraway communities.

Guanlao's ________ make a difference at a time when reading ability among students in the Philippines remains ________ . Some students in the Philippines are also facing learning delays（延迟）in math and science. He hopes to help more students ________ these problems.

Guanlao is ________ to stick to his goals. “My mission（使命） is to ________ used and donated books to others at no cost,” he said, “and to promote ________ through literature.”

5 . Independence is something that can be difficult to achieve. But don’t worry because here we have four books that can help you. If you don’t buy less than three of them, you’ll be given a 20% discount!

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Taking care of your finance is hard. Dave Ramsey, a famous businessman, is here to take you on the whole process of planning your finance, and show the myths of cash advance and debt consolidation (债务重整), to make sure your finance is healthy.

Price: $14.00

Grace’s Guide by Grace Helbig

Grace Helbig shared her tips on becoming a grown-up. The book is full of personal stories of Helbig, her struggles and the lessons she learnt from failing many times. This book is your on-the-go fun read with pictures and drawings of Helbig, and worksheets (工作记录表) to practice.

Price: $7.00

The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon

Having suffered from eating disorder and living on diet, Angela Liddon promised to eat healthily forever. She threw out her fat-free butter spray (黄油喷雾) and low-calorie frozen dinners after learning how to properly cook. This book contains more than 100 recipes (食谱) covering breakfast, salads, soups, power snacks and the main dishes for a healthy meal at any time of the day. We all know that healthy eating is all part of being independent.

Price: $22.00

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Life can be hard, especially when it comes to relationships with others. In the book, Strayed gives advice on love and life. She writes about different subjects: a son rejected by his parents, a mother who has lost her child. And the message hidden throughout all her advice is always that, if you want a good life, you have to create it.

Price: $8.00

7 . Family: Poems — by Mr. Keith Keenan

Kindle $0.00; Hardcover $12.50; Paperback $7.00.

The poet describes personal thoughts and feelings in a lyrical journey to understand and celebrate his family. “Family” looks at living honestly in places, not illusions. Figurative (形象的) language, a love of metaphor and sharp images all make the poems work.

Time to Heal — by Aleandra Vasiliu

Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $21.94; Paperback $12.64.

From the bestselling author comes an inspirational poetry book about love, healing, and growth. It is a reminder to strive to change for the better. Featuring more than 130 uplifting poems and black-and-white illustrations, it’s a great companion when you need to embrace self-love and personal transformation.

Seeds from a Birch Tree — by Clark Strand

Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $26.80; Paperback $16.95.

Seeds from a Birch Tree makes nature into a spiritual path. Its message was simple: Haiku teaches us to return to nature by following the seasons — seventeen syllables at a time. With its mix of poetry and memoir (回忆录), the book guides us to the joy hidden in plain sight, leading us to get into a good state of body and mind.

A Poem for Every Day — by Allie Esiri

Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $28.05; Audio CD $18.05.

This audio book is a collection of 366 poems which link to events on key dates—funny for April Fools’ Day, festive for Christmas. This is the perfect gift for poetry lovers of all ages. These poems are informative, peaceful, and energetic!

There are a large number of poetry collections on Amazon. More information, please click here.

8 . One Saturday last November, I stepped into my local library. I was about to read a book when I heard an elderly man speak to a lady. “This library will soon become a cafe. Everyone is reading with electronic devices,” he said. Hearing this, I wanted to shout, “I still read library books!” But my words stuck in my throat and I found teenagers around me were talking to friends or staring at their phones.

Reading online feels robotic to me. It’s like I stare at a screen and click “next” for the following page to appear until the very end of the e-book, and at the end of all of that, I just think, “That’s it?” But when I read a printed book, it’s like I’m holding on to the characters. I can imagine the plot better, as I can picture the scenes of each moment in my head with more accuracy and imagination.

Besides, some online books miss components that are in the printed novels. For instance, the physical copy of a fantasy novel I have read contains a map, but the e-book version does not. That is an injustice to e-book users; after reading and understanding the map, the story made a lot more sense for me, in terms of the setting and plot.

And personally, physically turning to the next page is better than clicking “next”. When reading online, I sometimes worry that I click “next” too quickly. It feels more like a race; I want to finish it because the pages just keep making that “flipping” sound and I wonder how long the book really is.

Some printed books have a special smell that makes the novel feel special to me. It’s hard to describe but I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks so. I know I cannot convince every teen to switch from the digital book to the printed one, but maybe my writing about the difference will at least get some of them to think about it.