I was 6 or 7 when I learned to read. So not remarkable, but when I was 8 we moved in to a place right next to the library. In the summer when it would rain, I would sit in there reading the reference books that were not allowed to be checked out. In the kid section at first. By 12 I was reading adult books.
I learned to read in 1st grade — I didn’t go to kindergarten — and I have always loved books. Getting my library card is a cherished memory. Ours was a rather small library, and it did not take long for me to go through all of the children’s collection, so I was also reading adult books at a very early age. Of course, in those days, a parent did not have to wonder about a kid’s venturing into the adult section.