JUSTIN CASE, read aloud -- what happened

That was so much fun! Wahoo!

JUSTIN CASE is such a fun book to read aloud, thank goodness. The fifth-graders I read to were terrific, laughing in all right places and serious and wide-eyed when that was exactly what an author would most wish for. Their questions and comments were great, too.

Some of my favorites:

"This is a perfect book for fifth graders and probably sixth, too -- because we have been through those problems that Justin is having, so we can tell when he is making a really bad choice! Or even when he might be misunderstanding what somebody said to him. So it is especially funny for kids our age and up. But probably younger kids would like it too. They just might not get all the funniness we do, but they'd definitely love it."

"Will you please write a sequel? We need to know what happens to Justin in fourth grade and fifth and eleventh and all the other grades."

"I like that Justin didn't have just one big problem but lots of little problems he has to figure out all at the same time."

They have promised to write down their reviews officially -- so I promise to share them with you (even the bad ones, because I am trying to be as brave as Justin...)

For now, the sun is shining on the snow here in NYC. I just did 61 push-ups and 61 sit-ups and wrote a chapter in my new book... so on we go. If I could just write more and faster... no. No recriminations today. Just keep going, I am telling myself. One foot in front of the other is the only way to get anywhere.

Love,

Rachel Vail

PS Congratulations to my friend Carin Berger on the publication today of her beautiful and important picture book, Forever Friends. Check it out -- it is really a special book, a companion to her award-winning The Little Yellow Leaf.