It was probably the first “Novel” I’d read cover to cover and it was purely by accident.
I was seven. I was visiting cousins and frankly they were about as exciting as watching a faucet drip. They didn’t do things like go hiking, or play army, or even go on swings. Instead, they sat around and read.
Yes. Kids who actually cracked a book.
Well, if you can’t beat them, join them.
One of the books featured a German Shepherd and a boy scout wearing dark glasses. I opened it and started reading. It started with the discovery of some unexploded firecrackers by a group of children. Jimmy, the central character in the story, has a firecracker tossed into his face by accident. He loses his sight and now has to learn to navigate the world as a blind person.
And that’s where Leader comes in. Leader becomes his eyes and together they learn to work as a team.
The name of the book.
What else. Follow my Leader by James Garfield.
I was hooked on reading from that day on.
I no longer have a copy, but I think I might be ordering me one soon.
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William R. Ablan, Police Mysteries 
That sounds like a great read, Rich. My favorite reads in high school were Shakespeare. I didn’t get really into reading novels until I was in my 30s, grew attached to James Michener’s novels and books about American Indians.
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