If you enjoyed reading books like Sandra Cisneros’, A House on Mango Street, and Amy Tan’s, The Joy Luck Club, then you’ll enjoy this G rated version of well told vignette type stories of a young girl living in Los Angeles. Having been raised in Los Angles, I definitely related to the stories being shared. In fact, I couldn’t put it down, once I began reading it. But, don’t take my word for it. Children enjoy reading this book too! I think it works well for a read aloud, either reading it through in one sitting or breaking it up into several readings. My student’s enjoyed hearing this story about someone that grew up in a similar neighborhood as theirs! We read it as part of our OCR unit, Friendship, in third grade. It offered the opportunities for great connections. I definitely recommend this book to all teachers, parents, and church groups alike. I think it lends itself to many themes and conversations. Moreover, I enjoyed it so much I think there should definitely be a series of these books. I take the liberty to suggest the titles “After I was Little” or “When I Grew Up” for the sequels.

As an educator, I highly recommend this book to any classroom library!!! It has great visuals and has a great storyline. I used it in my fourth grade class during our Dreams to Jobs Unit. The kids loved it!