--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 11 or 12, I was really bored…" description: "\"When I was 11 or 12, I was really bored with everything on my summer reading list. It was all happy, middle-grade kinds of books. I was getting frustra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/lauren-destefano-892_adult_when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-w_1522884.png" --- # When I was 11 or 12, I was really bored with everything on… ![“When I was 11 or 12, I was really bored with everything on my summer reading list. It was all happy, middle-grade kinds of books. I was getting frustrated, because I liked to read. My mother went to the library and got me a copy of 'The Other Side of Midnight' by Sidney Sheldon. It was my first…” quote by Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/lauren-destefano-892_adult_when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-w_1522884.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/lauren-destefano-892_adult_when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-w_1522884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/lauren-destefano-892_adult_when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-w_1522884.png) > “When I was 11 or 12, I was really bored with everything on my summer reading list. It was all happy, middle-grade kinds of books. I was getting frustrated, because I liked to read. My mother went to the library and got me a copy of 'The Other Side of Midnight' by Sidney Sheldon. It was my first adult book.” [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A teenager felt bored with typical children's books and discovered adult fiction, sparking a love for more complex stories. **In simple terms:** Finding mature books can revive a love for reading. Key Takeaway Seek out challenging reading when bored. Themes reading growth adolescence Mood curious reflective Type inspirational personal growth When to use this quote - school projects - personal development - library visits Key Concepts literary development genre transition Questions to Reflect On - What book changed your reading habits? - How do you choose age‑appropriate challenges? A Different Perspective Mature content may be too intense for some young readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Frustrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrated/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Midnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midnight/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“I was born with a reading list that never ends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maud-casey/i-was-born-with-a-reading-list-that-never-ends/) Maud Casey > [“i was born with a reading list which never ends”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maud-cassy/i-was-born-with-a-reading-list-which-never-ends/) Maud Cassy > [I'm always in search of those books where you don't want to stop reading, and 'Me Before You' is at the top of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-weisberger/i-m-always-in-search-of-those-books-where-you-don-t-want-to-stop/) [Lauren Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-weisberger/) > [“What’s next on your reading list? Discover”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/what-s-next-on-your-reading-list-discover/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [You have tremendous freedom in the young adult book world to write what you want. You can put R-rated content in a book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/you-have-tremendous-freedom-in-the-young-adult-book-world-to-write/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [Often the adult book is not for you, not yet, or will only be for you when you're ready. But sometimes you will read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/often-the-adult-book-is-not-for-you-not-yet-or-will-only-be-for-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [If you take 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' as books, one is written for children, and one is an adult's book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/if-you-take-the-hobbit-and-the-lord-of-the-rings-as-books-one-is/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [I think what makes good children's books is putting the same care and effort into it as if I was writing for adults. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/i-think-what-makes-good-children-s-books-is-putting-the-same-care-and/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [I actually started an adult book, worked on it for about two years, and then decided it just wasn't coming together for me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/i-actually-started-an-adult-book-worked-on-it-for-about-two-years-and/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [I think it's a mistake to think, 'Am I going to write a young adult book, or do I desperately want to write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-think-it-s-a-mistake-to-think-am-i-going-to-write-a-young-adult/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [As a children's author, reviewers are generally very nice to you. I only ever wrote one adult book and received such a kicking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/as-a-children-s-author-reviewers-are-generally-very-nice-to-you-i/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [I'm usually working either on a picture book and a young adult book, or a middle grade book and a young adult book. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-m-usually-working-either-on-a-picture-book-and-a-young-adult-book/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I think I was 13 years old when my father put in my hands 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.' It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/i-think-i-was-13-years-old-when-my-father-put-in-my-hands-the-spy-who/) [Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/) > [“This is one of the chief differences between a child's experience of a favorite book and an educated adult's. For the adult, a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/this-is-one-of-the-chief-differences-between-a-child-s-experience-of/) [Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/) > [There are three kinds of people in this world: 1) People who make lists, 2) People who don't make lists, and 3) People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/there-are-three-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-1-people-who-make-lists/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## More by Lauren DeStefano > [“I watch the perfectly imperfect people several stories below, living their perfectly imperfect lives, and I think about how many decades will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-watch-the-perfectly-imperfect-people-several-stories-below-living/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [You have a way of looking at things. You make it seem as though everything's going to be okay. I can't imagine a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/you-have-a-way-of-looking-at-things-you-make-it-seem-as-though/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [He says one word, nodding into the daylight. "Look." It's an astounding word. It's a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/he-says-one-word-nodding-into-the-daylight-look-it-s-an-astounding/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“Rhine: It's okay that you miss her. She was the love of your life. Linden: Not the only love. It feels wrong to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/rhine-it-s-okay-that-you-miss-her-she-was-the-love-of-your-life/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“She strokes my cheeks with the side of her hand – a repetitive, wispy motion. Like little ghost kisses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/she-strokes-my-cheeks-with-the-side-of-her-hand-a-repetitive-wispy/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [I've done it all before, I tell myself, and I can do it again. Trust is the strongest weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-ve-done-it-all-before-i-tell-myself-and-i-can-do-it-again-trust-is/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Even things that aren't broken can be fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/even-things-that-aren-t-broken-can-be-fixed/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“Now isn't the time to be angry with my brother, but I suppose the anger I feel for him never goes away. I cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/now-isn-t-the-time-to-be-angry-with-my-brother-but-i-suppose-the/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [I see an ocean that’s spilled out of a wineglass, its body clear and sparkling and folding over itself. I see a ribbon of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-see-an-ocean-that-s-spilled-out-of-a-wineglass-its-body-clear-and/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Gabriel's voice can reach me anywhere. Even in a hurricane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/gabriel-s-voice-can-reach-me-anywhere-even-in-a-hurricane/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Maybe what frightens us about the edge isn't our fear of morality, but the thoughts it leads us to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/maybe-what-frightens-us-about-the-edge-isn-t-our-fear-of-morality-but/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“This isn’t living, what all of us are doing. We drive down long, dilapidated back roads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/this-isn-t-living-what-all-of-us-are-doing-we-drive-down-long/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“I don't know how it happens. We move our faces at the same time, and then our lips are touching. I've lost my worries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-don-t-know-how-it-happens-we-move-our-faces-at-the-same-time-and/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Suddenly the clouds seem high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans and charred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/suddenly-the-clouds-seem-high-above-us-they-re-moving-over-us-in-an/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“I wonder if the people of the ground ever feel that their children are too big for their world, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-wonder-if-the-people-of-the-ground-ever-feel-that-their-children/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) [Explore all 327 Lauren DeStefano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) ## More Adult quotes > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I am a big outliner. For my adult book, 'The Visibles,' I did not outline, and it took me two years to write because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/i-am-a-big-outliner-for-my-adult-book-the-visibles-i-did-not-outline/) [Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/) > [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I have spent my entire adult life trying to make Liberty University the world-class Christian university that was envisioned at its founding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell-jr/i-have-spent-my-entire-adult-life-trying-to-make-liberty-university/) [Jerry Falwell, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell-jr/) > [“To love was a privilege not afforded to those of us born in these trying times when survival was never guaranteed. We were products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-x-chang/to-love-was-a-privilege-not-afforded-to-those-of-us-born-in-these/) Molly X. Chang > [Adults look upon a child as something empty that is to be filled through their own efforts, as something inert and helpless for which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/adults-look-upon-a-child-as-something-empty-that-is-to-be-filled/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“There's such an intimate kind of beauty in the act of listening to music being created right in front of your eyes, watching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-frank/there-s-such-an-intimate-kind-of-beauty-in-the-act-of-listening-to/) [M.C. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-frank/) > [Whether we think of Disney's blonde beauty and her pumpkin carriage or Marissa Meyer's recent recasting of 'Cinderella' as a cyborg in the young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-rutkoski/whether-we-think-of-disney-s-blonde-beauty-and-her-pumpkin-carriage/) [Marie Rutkoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-rutkoski/) > [You have, unfortunately, a K-12 educational system where the requirements to graduate are not the requirements to be college and career-ready. So if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-chertavian/you-have-unfortunately-a-k-12-educational-system-where-the/) [Gerald Chertavian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-chertavian/) > [Child actors going on to become adult actors never really works, apart from a few. Jodie Foster was the exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lester/child-actors-going-on-to-become-adult-actors-never-really-works-apart/) Mark Lester > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [“Oh, I don’t mean to infer that you’re not a great guy. I’m sure you’re the exception to the rule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaye-frances/oh-i-don-t-mean-to-infer-that-you-re-not-a-great-guy-i-m-sure-you-re/) Jaye Frances Browse all 1,153 Adult quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 11 or 12, I was really bored with everything on my summer reading list. It was all happy, middle-grade kinds of books. I was getting frustrated, because I liked to read. My mother went to the library and got me a copy of 'The Other Side of Midnight' by Sidney Sheldon. It was my first adult book.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lauren DeStefano" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-with-everything-on-my-summer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adult" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-with-everything-on-my-summer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/lauren-destefano-892_adult_when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-w_1522884.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/lauren-destefano-892_adult_when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-w_1522884.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/lauren-destefano-892_adult_when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-w_1522884.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was 11 or 12, I was really bored with everything on my summer reading list. It was all happy…” — Lauren DeStefano", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lauren DeStefano", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was 11 or 12,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-with-everything-on-my-summer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/when-i-was-11-or-12-i-was-really-bored-with-everything-on-my-summer/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```