Book-sneaking stories: The ones that went awry

We posted a cartoon on Facebook last week about a kid sneaking a book — with his mother fully aware and loving it — and our followers went crazy in a good way over it. (Check it out at the bottom of this post.)

And they also shared their own excellent stories about sneaking in a page (or two ... or three ... ), much to our delight.

First we figured we’d pull our favorites and share on our blog, but that barely narrowed down the field.

So we grouped our favorites by topic and are sharing a dose each morning this week, to help you start your day on the right foot.

Sorry about any side stitches from giggling!

Natalie S.: Reading til 3 A.M. and my exasperated mother coming in and smashing the light bulb with a broom.

Debbie H: When I was about twelve, my younger sister came up to me, yanked my glasses off, threw them across the room and shouted, "I'm sick of you reading. I want you to play with me!"

Anita P.: Not silly, but my sixth-grade teacher threw a library book out the window because I was reading in her class. Mind you, I had already finished the assignment. The librarian made her pay for the damaged book, because she knew I would never treat books that way.

Patricia L.: Draping a mohair wrap over the light. It got scorched.

Paula L.: I read under the covers with a flashlight too. When I had the "two-week" kind of measles — whatever they're called — the doctor told my mom to keep me in a darkened room to protect my eyes. Did I listen? Nope. Comic books under the covers. Now, I wear glasses. Always wondered if that is why....

Beth F.: I would come home from school (eight, nine, ten years old), plop in a chair in the corner, and read. Mom would tell me it was supper time. "Just let me finish this page.” “Beth, you must have finished the page by now.” "Please, only two pages left in this chapter?” Ten minutes later: “Everyone else has finished supper.” “It will only take me five minutes to finish the book." Same conversation three or four times a week. I ate a lot of cold suppers.

Connie H.: When our power went out and I was using a candle to read under the covers. Not very smart.

Mary L.: My first visit to a library when I was about two. The library was closing, and they couldn't find me. I had gotten involved in a great "ducky" book and was hunkered at the end of a stack enjoying it. They literally turned off the lights to get me to come to the light at the front desk. Good news is that, new as we were to the community, Mom's library card was approved on the spot, and the book came home with us!

Leonora S.: I used to get constantly scolded at school for reading instead of paying attention. I also bumped into a couple of tree branches with my forehead for reading while walking.

Enjoy this post? Make sure to comment on our Facebook posts so we can share your sweet and silly bookish stories in the future!