From: MNevett at aol.com <MNevett>
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 1996 20:22:42 -0400

Harriet" was the one book that determined my career path. I can still remember everything about the day I discovered her- or she had discovered me. My class had walked to the public library for what I now know of as a booktalk- Harriet had just been published, and I remember so strongly my feelings after the librarian talked about this new book- I can still feel the jitteriness of sitting at the absolute edge of my seat, palms sweating, anticipating, and repeating a child's prayer/mantra- "please let me get that book please let me get that book please let me get that book..." I can still remember the awe of being the first one to check out a new book, and of course getting in trouble for the rest of the day because I kept "sneaking" reads when I was supposed to be focused elsewhere... Actually reading the book had such a profound effect on me- Harriet was REAL- there could be a character in a book who was not terribly nice... I was already a reader, voracious but indiscriminate. Harriet changed my life, it was the first time I felt the real power of the interactive, life consuming passion of the act of reading. I am not objective about it as I re-read it as an adult, because the overwhelming emotional overtones of the whole experience come crashing back. What a book!

Micki Nevett Westmere Elementary School Albany, NY
Received on Tue 02 Jul 1996 07:22:42 PM CDT