From the time that I was a little girl, I’ve always been obsessed with books. My mom used to take me to the library every week and I would always come home with about twenty books. I typically finished all of them over the span of a couple of days. By about third grade, I absolutely loved long series, because they gave me the chance to stay with one character and read all about their life. My favorite series as a child would have to be Katie Kazoo Switcheroo.

The series basically centered around a girl who would frequently find herself in someone else’s shoes…quite literally! A “magic wind” transformed her into other people, and sometimes even animals. New age-iness aside, I believe that the switches were intended to teach a lesson, one that was echoed in a quote from my favorite classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (3.85-87).

I also remember feeling connected to the protagonist, Katie, because she was a lot like me. We had a lot similarities and her two closest friends, Suzanne and Jeremy, reminded me a lot of my closest friends at the time. I also loved that while the books were short enough to finish in an afternoon, there were a lot of them to read; over thirty, according to Wikipedia.

Now a young adult, I admire the author (Nancy Krulik) for doing such a good job writing the children’s series. Though I’ve obviously outgrown these books, they heightened my interest in reading and taught some great life lessons in a child-friendly way. Through this series, I believe that the author intended to instill compassion in young readers and get them to consider life through another’s eyes, or “Walk around in their skin,” as Atticus Finch said.

If you had any favorite books as a child, I’d love to hear about them in the comments section! I always love hearing from you guys!