A Book of Your Own: Keeping a Diary or Journal

Discusses diaries and journals and how to keep one, providing instructions, examples, and excerpts from journals both famous and obscure

Grade 5-8-This lively narrative, well bolstered with actual diary entries from both published and unpublished sources, is a handy and thoughtful guide for would-be journal-keepers. Stevens emphasizes the intimate nature of diary-writing, ("You don't have to worry about spelling or what your handwriting looks like, nor do you have to worry what others will think of you. You write only to please yourself.") Both immediate and future rewards are highlighted. The numerous short entries, which span several centuries, give readers a satisfying sense of the continuity of kids' innermost concerns across time periods and cultures. Insights about children's book writers, such as Wanda Gag, Louisa May Alcott, Selma Lagerloff, and Beatrix Potter, add a fascinating dimension to this volume, and could lead to further reading (an excellent list of published diaries is appended). A gem for teachers seeking writing projects, and for children already flirting with the idea of creating "a book of their own."-Susan H. Patron, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.