Ann Hodgman is a funny lady. In this book, she explains how she got that way. But the book only goes up through sixth grade.
After that, her life became so embarrassing that writing it down would have caused the pages to burst into flames.
Her witty prose has the right balance of nostalgia and self-deprecation. School Library Journal
In these light and funny pages, grownup Ann looks back with unmerciful self-deprecation on herself as she was in the early 1960s, and the result is a book that children ages 8-14 can enjoy as a kind of genial historical artifact and that their parents can read with affectionate winces at the quirks and obsessions of long-ago childhood. The Wall Street Journal
Hodgman's longings, insecurities, and passions are universal&the book's strength lies in her blistering sense of humor and her refusal to talk down to readers. Publishers Weekly
Rueful, funny and nostalgic& Kirkus Reviews
Ann Hodgman lives in Washington, Connecticut with her husband, the writer David Owen, and one million pets.