For many people, books are paper-bound portals to strange lands and new experiences. Whether they feature warrior princesses or child wizards, books can take people anywhere with only the turn of a page.

Just ask students at CAHS about the magic they work. “[I like] the way that they can take you to another place,” senior Brenden Lindsley said. “You can just lose yourself in them if they’re …  really good book[s]. You can just really immerse yourself in this new world.”

In high school, a realm of homework, tests and stress, some students see stories as an opportunity to abandon the chaos without ever having to leave their own heads. “I like [books] when there’s a lot of adventure in [them], so you can kind of put yourself in [the characters’] place,” sophomore Nataleigh Dupler said. “I just like … reading and going through somebody else’s life…through my perspective.”

Books are adventures in and of themselves, and as such, students at CAHS have grown to relate to the characters of their favorite stories. Often, these characters inspire readers in their everyday lives, regardless of the fact that the characters are fictitious. On the subject of his favorite book character, sophomore Peter Batcheller said that, “[Gandalf the Grey inspires me] to be a great leader, to be better than I am right now and … to help out other people and, if they’re ready for the responsibility, let them … take it upon [themselves] to … do the tasks that need to be done.”

But it’s not just the students who enjoy reading for leisure; the faculty does, too. “[Books] are an opportunity to experience … something—be it a person or a place or an idea—that you wouldn’t otherwise get to do,” English 11 and 12 teacher Ms. Chalese Dunton said. “[They allow] you to really expand your worldview and your perception of how life can be.”

Throughout our halls and within our classrooms, books, with their engrossing plot lines and intriguing characters, have offered pleasing solace to their readers.