Travels to Foreign Lands

I have my own copy of Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, but I leave it at home when I hit up my local Barnes & Noble for tea. Since the staff has removed the book from its prominent display near the front doors, I have to hunt for a copy to look at. I hoped to find one with the rest of John Grisham's dramas, but since the target demographic for Theodore Boone is eight to 12, I had to divert to the store's kids' section.

The mere fact that the kids' section's predominant color is color and lots of it tells me, "You don't belong here." The cute animal decor is another non-verbal cue to stay out. They're like those X-shaped markers in Planet of the Apes signifying the Forbidden Zone. Those are to be heeded and comprehended, not ignored or discarded.

I went in anyway, because I like defiance.

There on a rack lied several copies of Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. Moving quickly, I snatched one and walked all the way over to the store's other side to read and sip my tea. Retrieving a book from a bookstore's children's section is awkward when the sole purpose is to read it without paying for it. And walking all the way across the store only enhances the vibe. It makes it better that a purchased copy is at home, but people in the store don't know that. Putting it back is just as weird. I need to hurry through reading this story so I don't have to repeat that trip too much.

When I start reading Stephenie Meyers' Breaking Dawn, similar trips will be made to the section with all of the teen books.