Once upon a time, I was a young girl who loved to read about spunky and quirky girl characters.
This before the Internet was invented and cell phones took over life as we know it, but WAY after the wheel was invented, around the time VCRs and Michael Jackson were hot. I had computers in my elementary school, OK!

Anyway, as a kid, I adored Anastasia Krupnik, the spunky and quirky protagonist who continues to make readers laugh even to this day. So when I had the chance to find a well-known author for Weekly Reader's Weekly Writer feature, Lois Lowry sprang to mind. Authors for Weekly Writer create the first paragraphs of a story and each week, kids from around the country continue it by sending in their contributions.  

Last month, I found Lois Lowry's Web site and sent an e-mail asking her to help us out. She said yes! I just got over my thrill of even sending her an e-mail when that came back. And to make it more interesting, the e-mail came on my birthday, when I turned (number of Harry Potter books + Yankee Alex Rodriguez' number + house number of British prime minister + number that rhymes with fun).

I'll admit to having a major nostalgic moment. The kid I once was never dreamed that my future would have anything to do with obsessively reading all my favorite authors, such as Lois Lowry. As it turned out, reading had EVERYTHING to do with who I am and what I do. It's a really nice feeling, I have to say.

Oh, there's more. Lois Lowry blogged about being a Weekly Writer. (We may have even inspired a new book!) Check it out here. 

You can help Weekly Writer, too. Check it out here.