Hello

My name is Shannon Belden and I am an English and theatre double major graduating in May. One of my life goals is to write children's books (upper elementary/junior high age), so I'm very excited about auditing this course!

It's difficult to choose a favorite children's book, simply because that's the main genre that I read. I think the book that probably had the most influence over me when I was growing up was Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. I read it for a project when I was in fifth grade and, after that, I decided I wanted to be a writer. Spinelli has remained one of my all-time favorite authors since then. What makes this book so incredible is it's bittersweet plotline-- the character "Maniac," an orphan on the run, ends up living with a black family (though he is white) in a time and place where the two races never interact. He spends most of the book running-- usually from places and people who evoke heartache-- but by the end, he runs back to the family who gave him a home, even when it meant they were ostracized by their other friends. He's a truly likeable character who has to deal, not only with the normal difficulties of growing up, but with the idea that not everyone is accepting of those who are different. He doesn't see people for their color, but for their souls, and he slowly learns that many do not think that way.

This book gave me the first experience I've ever had crying because I was reading something beautiful-- not because it was sad or upsetting (though some parts are), but because it was wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. It's a truly amazing story.