Author Description

These seven stories provide glimpses into the author's childhood. In "Different Kinds of Schooling," Codell describes attending an alternative school where "you only did what you wanted," such as learning how to disco dance. That is until her father, who was a teacher there, got fired for taking his class on a field trip that entailed riding the public bus to Esmé's house, eating hot dogs, and watching the White Sox game on TV. In another tale, the author describes her Chicago neighborhood where people were, as her mother would say, "broke" not "poor." When her mother saw a shiny red Jaguar parked in front of a fire hydrant, she enlisted her daughter's help in bombing it with eggs. Other stories deal with religion, a first crush, and relatives. Unfortunately, Codell is a bit condescending, advising young readers to store away their memories, "just in case the strange and improbable day should arrive that you forget what it was like to be a child." Other than those few instances, this is a funny and poignant book about growing up.