Essay Sample: The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson

This book by Jaqueline Wilson was the start of my long journey of self-discovery and awareness. I'm aware that it's quite unorthodox for a children's book to have such a huge impact on oneself, but it helped me acquire seriously important life skills like handwork and resilience at the ripe age of 6. To elaborate on this point, after our weekly reading class ended, my teacher would ask us to pick a book from our school's library and read it on the weekend. My classmates chose from the Collins big cat section of picture books, but I found myself more attracted to the older kids' section where that book was. I picked it up without hesitation and begged my teacher to let me read it. She tried telling me that the reading age, which was eleven, would make it hard for me to be able to read and understand the book and how it didn't have any pictures. I still insisted on taking it home as I was bored with the regular books we read in class. Later that day, it turned out she was right! If a native Arabic speaker couldn't read an English book, that's above my reading skills. I didn't understand most of the words, and with no internet access back then, I had to search for them in our huge dictionary. It was a difficult process, yet so rewarding. Obviously, I couldn't finish the 160 pages of the book, but I didn't give up. I would give my teacher the book at the beginning of the week and give her a summary of my reading, then choose it again if it was available in the library until I finished it. I realised that I had a 'kick' for challenges and continued on reading more books to the point where I read one a day till the 7th grade. Furthermore, I also developed a hunger for knowledge of any kind, so school quickly became my safe haven and sanctuary. I gained basic knowledge of lots of school subjects, like sciences and English, which allowed me to do well in school without much effort. Due to my prodigy brother, who had his IQ tested before 1st grade, I didn't perceive my grades as anything above average. When I discovered that my classmates and teachers saw me as the smart kid, I was beyond ecstatic. As I grew older, I began chasing the feeling of academic validation by overworking myself, even though I was clearly struggling to focus and had found other ways to stimulate my mind, so school wasn't as exciting nor interesting anymore. In 8th grade, I was struggling in some subjects, so I spent most of my school year at home studying and missing out on life. I did end up getting full marks, but at the cost of my mental wellbeing. What was once my sanctuary turned into my hell. I was depressed and suicidal because I felt lost and unworthy of life. Who was I, if not excellent? A fraud. In high school, I was burned out and completely uninterested in school. I was still getting good grades for the sake of having a safe life at home since my occasionally abusive parents gained expectations of me. Halfway through 10th grade, I realised that I didn't have to be confined to a label, that I didn't have to prove myself to anybody. I finally set my pride aside and asked for help.....