People often ask which books shaped me, expecting an answer filled with theology, philosophy, or history.
The truth is, three little girls quietly shaped parts of me.
Not all at once. They came into my life one after another, exactly when I needed them.
First came Matilda Wormwood.
I finished reading Matilda with real comprehension when I was seven years old.
She taught me that books could become a refuge. When the people around you don't understand you, a library can still welcome you. She made me believe that curiosity isn't something to apologize for; it's something to embrace.
That little book made me walk back and forth to our town library. I don't even remember how many times I borrowed books after that. I just know Matilda made me fall in love with reading.
If it weren't for Matilda, I probably wouldn't have found the next girl.
Then came Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden.
This was during the time when eBooks were becoming popular. Phones still had keypads, and one of my uncles gave me his old sliding Nokia. I somehow managed to find a copy of The Secret Garden to read on that tiny screen—and I absolutely loved it.
Mary wasn't instantly lovable. She was lonely, stubborn, and emotionally neglected. But as the garden slowly came back to life, so did she.
She made me appreciate flowers, vegetables, quiet places, and the mystery of growth. She reminded me that healing often looks ordinary. Sometimes it looks like watering a plant, pulling weeds, or patiently waiting for something buried beneath the soil to come alive again.
And finally came Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables.
Most people remember her imagination and endless chatter.
I remember something else.
Her curiosity, her ability to ask questions.
Anne questioned everything. She noticed beauty that others walked past. She found wonder in ordinary places and wasn't embarrassed to think deeply or dream boldly. She taught me that asking questions isn't the opposite of wisdom—they're often where wisdom begins.
I was already in my mid-twenties when I watched the Netflix adaptation. After finishing it, I searched for a free EPUB of the novel because I wanted to know Anne even more.
Somehow, I saw a little of myself in her.
The chatterbox.
The daydreamer.
The girl whose imagination could turn ordinary moments into something beautiful, full of lessons and reflection.
Looking back, I realize these three girls shaped different corners of my heart.
Matilda taught me to love books.
Mary taught me to love growth.
Anne taught me to love wonder.
It's amazing how fictional characters can leave fingerprints on a real life.
As a Christian, I don't believe these stories replaced Scripture. But I do believe God often uses good stories to prepare our hearts for greater truths. Long before I understood many lessons through experience, these girls had already planted tiny seeds.
Sometimes God teaches us through sermons.
Sometimes through suffering.
And sometimes...
through three little girls we meet between the pages of a book.
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