There is nothing quite like being in a reading slump. You open a book, read three sentences and suddenly find yourself scrolling through TikTok or starting to close your eyes. When reading begins to feel like homework, the best solution isn’t always to push through your current book. Sometimes, the key is to return to the books that made you fall in love with reading in the first place.Â
Recently, to overcome a reading slump of my own, I revisited the stories I devoured growing up. From “Percy Jackson” to “The Hunger Games,” I have been returning to all of my old classics. From experience, here are five reasons why you should revisit your favorite childhood books.Â
1) They are the perfect cure for a reading slump
For the most part, children’s books are short, familiar and comforting. You do not have to work hard to follow the plot, so if you prefer, you can turn off your brain and let the story carry you. There is no pressure to “analyze” every detail, no stress about complicated storylines or vocabulary that is difficult to understand. It is simply reading for the sake of enjoyment, something many college students likely have not experienced since middle school. Plus, finishing a shorter book gives you that sense of instant gratification that can motivate you to pick up another. Before you know it, you are back in your reading era.Â
2) They are often deeper than you remember
When you are a kid, you focus on the magic, mystery, friendship and adventure. Revisiting the same stories as an adult can feel completely different. Suddenly, you catch themes and metaphors that went over your head and appreciate the writing in a new way. It is wild how a book that once felt like a fun escape now reads like a commentary on growing up, identity, loss or resilience. I recently reread my favorite book of all time, “The Lightning Thief,” by Rick Riordan. In the first few chapters, devastation strikes, pushing the main character onto a hero’s journey. When I was young, that event felt like a barrier to get past before the real story began. But now, this section of the novel stands out to me because of how terrifying that piece of the plot truly is. All of my life experiences as an adult have deepened my understanding of the story greatly.Â
3) You finally understand why adults were obsessed with them
There is a reason so many childhood fantasy series became global phenomena. Rereading them now offers a glimpse into what grown-ups saw back then: the world-building, the clever humor, the emotional stakes and the cozy feeling of belonging to a fandom. The first time I encountered the “Harry Potter” series was when my mom read each of the books out loud to me. Several times a book, she would burst into tears and struggle to get through the passages. Now that I am more mature, I also have difficulty completing a childhood classic without shedding a few tears. The empathy and experiences I’ve gained as I have grown up have made moments that were seemingly uneventful to my childhood self very emotional.Â
4) The nostalgia is unmatched
As the seasons change and many of us start to feel a sense of isolation in the colder months, returning to nostalgic stories is a way to deeply connect with characters and other readers. It is similar to rewatching a comfort movie, but more immersive because you are actually inside the heads of the characters. I also recommend checking out your local library and grabbing a physical copy; the hands-on experience can bring you back to the first time you read the book. If you have access to your original copy, you can also revisit lines you highlighted or comments you left in the margins. Through this process, you can reconnect with your younger self and deepen the tangible, personal experience of reading each book.Â
5) It helps you recognize how much you have grown
One of the most meaningful parts of revisiting childhood books is realizing how you have changed. The story may be the same, but you are not. Reading something you once loved can feel like a conversation with your past self. It is a reminder of what mattered to you then, what matters to you now and everything that you have learned along the way. Sometimes you will discover new layers within the story; other times you’ll simply appreciate how far you have come since the last time you closed that book.
If you are feeling disconnected from reading, or even from yourself, dust off the books that shaped you. They are short, sweet, surprisingly profound and filled with nostalgia. Most importantly, they remind you why you fell in love with reading in the first place.Â