Me: "Oh, good books are like that, aren't they?"
N: "Yes! When you read a good book, it's like making friends. I hate finishing books because I miss my friends from the books I love."
E (7): "Some books are terrible, though. I don't miss those characters at all!"
N: "That's true. Some books are so bad that you give up on the first page!"
These conversations make me adore teaching. And reading. And kids. And re-reading. And meeting people who are friends with the fictional characters I'm friends with.