Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society. To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at reading@globaltimes.com.cn

Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.

Photo: VCG

In this summer holiday, I read a book titled Charlotte's Web.  The author of the book is E.B. White from the US. This book is very interesting and it talks about a very moving story of friendship.

Newborn Wilbur was a pig, and a kind-hearted little girl Fern took care of it and led a happy life. Later, as Wilbur grew up, the girl's father sold the pig to Uncle Homer, who owned a farm. So Wilbur started living in the barn. 

The little pig Wilbur met a good friend - a gray spider named Charlotte. Charlotte was a clever and faithful spider. This friend was very good for him and always told Wilbur a story before he went to bed. They lived happily in the barn together. 

One day, bad news came to Wilbur and he learned that he was about to become a bacon ham for Christmas. Charlotte was very calm and came up with many ways to weave words into her web to protect Wilbur. However, Charlotte's own life also came to an end.

Finally, the spider Charlotte died, and Wilbur took Charlotte's children back to the farm and took care of them. But Wilbur the pig always missed his friend Charlotte. 

When I read "Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart," I was very pleased and thought that Wilbur was not ungrateful. In fact, he was grateful for Charlotte's life-saving kindness.

After finishing reading this book, I was deeply moved by the sincere friendship and Charlotte's kindness and sincerity. 

This story reminds us that friendship is priceless - it should be built on sincerity, nurtured with understanding, and sustained with enthusiasm. Though invaluable, friendship requires care. 

In life, friendship is a wealth that cannot be bought. Without friends, we would live in loneliness. Wilbur, however, was fortunate, as he had a loyal friend who not only accompanied him daily but also sacrificed her life to save him.

From this story, I also see the greatness of friendship, the power of wisdom, and the rewards of hard work. Among them, I like Charlotte the most because although she looked tiny, her words and actions were brilliant.

In my point of view, we all need this kind of friendship in our lives, so we should learn from Charlotte. As the old saying goes, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." We should help our friends as much as we can when they need us.

The author is a student at Beijing No.80 High School