The Treasure of Kassy C.

On Tuesday, Selina and I read Walter Dean Myers' short story called The Treasure of Lemon Brown. Selina then wrote a wonderful blog post about what she learnt from the story, going onto discuss her own treasures – her books – and how special they are to her.

Just like Lemon Brown says, "Every man got a treasure." But not every man is a pirate with an old wooden treasure chest overbrimming with all the stolen riches in the world. Our treasures are not things that have monetary value but sentimental value. Indeed, even William Shakespeare, the greatest writer in the English language, believed so; one of the most famous quotes from his play The Merchant of Venice is "All that glitters is not gold."

Like Selina, my treasure also has to do with books. However, it is a very specific book – my well-worn copy of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which is my all-time favourite novel. My mum bought my copy for me from Whitcoulls, a bookstore in New Zealand. This book has travelled with me everywhere – from New Zealand to Taiwan to Los Angeles.

Others may think that my copy of Pride and Prejudice is outdated and insignificant, and indeed, there are many much nicer hardcover versions out there. But little do they know that the creases on the spine correspond directly with my favourite pages in the book, meaning if you were to pick up my book, it will almost always open to the part I love best. To me, these bends and cracks are not the signs of deterioration; they are the marks of love.

I once thought I lost the book when we moved from one city to another. I scoured the house and ransacked through dozens of boxes in search of the book, but all to no avail. I was so upset that my parents conceded and bought me a new and much nicer copy. It just didn't feel the same though. This wasn't the copy that I had held in my hands the first time I read it and fell in love with Mr. Darcy, and it certainly wasn't the copy I proudly carried everywhere as I declared I wanted to be just like its heroine, Lizzie Bennett.

Luckily, I did end up finding my old copy, and now I have two copies of Pride and Prejudice. Even though the stories are exactly the same, you can guess which copy I love more.

What is your treasure and why is it valuable to you?