I am just going to come right out and say it: I was disappointed in this book. When I read about it online and previewed it, I thought that this was going to be an inspiration to my current students to think about what they're writing and to maybe save some of their letters and notes and drawings for future reflection/ possible publication. In looking at it and reading it once it was in my hands, I was not so enamored with it.There are some chuckles to be had, for sure, in reading the "love" letters that Dene Larson received as a middle schooler in the 1970's. There is not so much insight or even interest, really, to warrant a collection of these letters to be published. It's just not all that interesting or funny. It's kind of a boring read.
I will put this on the free reading shelf at the back of my classroom in hopes that an aspiring writer will read this with a discerning eye. Maybe they will see the potential of the IDEA of saving the bits of wisdom and silliness written by the average teenager on a daily basis. And, perhaps the enticement of future publication profits will keep students from texting in my room? It is after all, much more difficult to save those texts in any reliable fashion, I'm sure! Much better to have hard copy notes when thinking about a future book deal!
