Knots in My Yo-Yo String

148 pages. AR Quiz #20119. 6.0BL. 5 points. (J Biog Spinelli). Bergenfield owns 1 copy.

Compared to Spinelli's fiction, this is fairly tame (and somewhat uneven), but it does have its moments. Looking back to his entire childhood, and briefly to the present, Spinelli's self-proclaimed "Autobiography of a Kid" is at its best in the first seventy-five pages and then at the end. There, you see the child who grew into the adult, and the adult, and all of the humor and quirks that made him into the writer he became. In the in between section, at times, it feels almost more like a report or a straight piece of nonfiction (though, for folks interested in sports, this not be so much the case). Thus, as an autobiography, it comes across as somewhat uneven since nearly all of the humor we know Spinelli for comes in the very end, or the first 75 pages or so (of a 150 page book). Of course, it's also built for young readers, which may too far simplify an autobiography for an adult's taste. However, in the end, I'm still glad to have read it, and I'd certainly recommend it to other readers who already love Spinelli's work. They're sure to recommend little bits and pieces of his life as they ended up slipping into his fiction, which was nearly my favorite part of the whole reading experience...the second being how he answered a child's question, in the end of the book, that being "Do think being a kid helped you to become a writer?" At the very least, this question in mind, writerly readers might enjoy reading the very last chapter of the book whether they know Spinelli's work or not. Come to think of it, I may just reread that chapter now.

Simply? Recommended for all those interested. ( )

I enjoyed this book. I liked how the author basically wrote a biography of himself and published it for the whole word to read. He learns lessons in this book and walks us through his life. He teaches us his goals and accomplishments in life, young or old. He was meant to be a writer and that is exactly what he is! ( )

I think this book is a easy book to read with children in the classroom. Its a great way to get them involved in class. ( )

Thiis reminds me of friends, and it makes me want to hear stories from my relatives. ( )