From: Robin Smith <smithr>
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 08:28:58 -0500

I love the reading that this topic has lead me to! On Friday, I received a copy of the second volume of When I was Your Age, edited by Amy Ehrlich. I read it in one gulp and loved each story. The stories recount important times in each writer's life. Some of the accounts are of major milestones in a person's life (like Karen Hesse's harrowing account of her childhood in Baltimore), other stories are of the normal life experiences that most everyone has (like E.L. Konigsburg's wonderful account of the arrival of her baby sister). I often find myself wondering what drew a favorite writer to become a writer. These stories often show that writers use stories as a way to make sense of life. Sometimes writing is the best way a child has of expressing herself. This collection, as well at the first volume, has completely captivated me. I find myself thinking of ways to introduce these stories to my young students and to my colleagues. I can imagine Susan Cooper's story
(from the first volume) of bullying and social cruelty being discussed by junior high students as they try to make sense of the cruelty of their peers and the lack of action by adults. Rita Garcia-Williams' laugh-out-loud story of her mother's cooking would certainly spur many a budding humorist to look more closely at his or her own life! Everyone has a story, even the youngest child. Not everyone can become a writer of the stature of the writers in these two volumes. But, these stories of everyday and not-so-everyday experiences should inspire us all to look at the pivotal moments in our lives that have made us who we are. In my experience, children are not drawn to collections of stories, be they truth or fiction. But I think, with a little exposure by librarians and teachers, When I Was Your Age (volumes 1 and 2) should become favorites.

Robin Smith

Ensworth School 211 Ensworth Place Nashville, TN 37205
Received on Mon 19 Apr 1999 08:28:58 AM CDT