Hania was a calm and quiet girl, known by her classmates for being serious and always getting top marks.  But one day, something shook up her usual routine… 

At the start of the new school year, a new student named Taha joined her class, coming from another school.  

Suddenly, Hania began feeling upset all the time, and her mind often wandered, distracted by thoughts she could not control.  

Taha, with his charm and cleverness, quickly won the admiration of their classmates and even the teacher, who constantly praised him for his effort and participation in every class.

  One day, during a class early in the school year, the teacher announced a surprise competition: “I will ask two general knowledge questions,” she said with a smile. 

“The winner, boy or girl, will receive a box of Swiss chocolate I brought back from my recent trip!” The teacher asked the first question:  

“What is the capital of Switzerland?” Right away, Taha shot his hand into the air, Teacher! Teacher! Teacher! excitingly eager to answer.

  “Go ahead,” the teacher said. Taha answered confidently: “Bern! Some people think it is Geneva, but the real capital is Bern.  

 May I add something, Miss?” “Yes, yes! go ahead, Taha,” the teacher replied. Taha grinned and added proudly: “I know most of the world’s capitals… and even the currencies of many countries!” The teacher’s eyes sparkled. 

 She walked over to Taha and gave him a warm hug in front of the entire class. “Excellent! My next question is about currencies,” she announced.

  Then she asked: “What is the currency of Japan?” Once again, Taha’s hand shot up before anyone else’s, and the teacher nodded for him to answer.  With full confidence, he replied:

 “The Yen.” The teacher smiled and clapped for him, and the rest of the class quickly joined in.

 Taha beamed with pride, happier than ever.  

Meanwhile, Hania sat frozen in her seat, her face heavy with disappointment. She had missed her chance to shine and to win the chocolate.  

The Next Day… Taha did not come to class. One of his friends told the teacher that he had caught a cold and was resting at home.  The teacher said: “Whoever can visit him, please do. His house is right next to the school. 

It would be a nice way to support him and cheer him up!” At that moment, a clever idea popped into Hania’s mind. She whispered to herself:  “This is my chance to get closer to that new boy… to discover the secret behind his success! What could he be hiding at home… or in his room?” Hania waited anxiously for the class to end. 

At the school gate, she invited a few classmates to join her in visiting Taha, just as the teacher had suggested.  Together, they headed to Taha’s house. Hania knocked on the door, and Taha’s mother opened it with a warm smile, happily welcoming her son’s friends inside The mother welcomed them inside, and Hania quietly slipped in first, ahead of the others… That is when her eyes widened in amazement.  Right there, in the middle of the house, stood something she had never seen before: A huge, colorful home library! The air carried the sweet smell of paper and ink, a scent that made everyone want to open a book right away.  

Tall shelves stretched around the room, each one neatly arranged and carefully labeled: Languages... Literature... Philosophy...Culture, General Knowledge... Hania’s gaze darted from one shelf to another until she spotted a book titled “World Capitals” … and right beside it, another: “Currencies of the Modern World.” In that instant, Hania uncovered Taha’s secret.  Her heart raced as she whispered to herself: “It is reading…yes!... it is reading!” Again! Hania froze for a moment, her eyes wide as she stared at the rows of books. Her heart beat faster, as if she had stumbled upon a hidden treasure.  The colors, the labels, the smell of paper, everything seemed magical. “So this is it… this is Taha’s secret…secret of excellence,” she whispered to herself, almost afraid someone else might hear:  “It is all about reading!” Hania gazed further at the library in awe and added softly: “Starting today, I will make time for reading alongside my schoolwork…I will become a bookworm, so I can keep my place among the best, so I can be the best… Yeah! be the best.”  

Moral Question: My dear friends, what is the secret behind Taha’s excellence and success?