Lois Lowry offers an album filled with memories, feelings and fragments from her past in this singular autobiographical compilation of photographs and reminiscences. In the process, this acclaimed author for children uncovers the roots of some of her story ideas. Lowry's photographs and commentary are arranged in short thematic chapters, each of which begins with a quote from one of her novels. The connection between the quote and the photographs and personal stories that follow them are not always obvious, but here Lowry makes profound sense of it all nonetheless. After all, this is a book about ideas and the creative process as much as it is about her life, and stories rarely emerge fully developed out of a single event in a writers's experience. What emerges as the chapters progress is a sense of the writer's constant effort to make sense and story out what has happened in her life, to weave past and present into something new and original that is fiction, but with the heart of human experience at its core. There is a sense of sitting down one on one with the author as she shares these photographs, memories and musings in the casual tone of a narrative that speaks directly to the individual reader. The writing is intimate, with deep appreciation for the importance that human connections hold, including, or perhaps espeically, the one between the author and the individual readers of this book. (Age 10 and older)

"I would like to introduce you to this book. It has no plot. It is about moments, memories, fragments, falsehoods, and fantasies. It is about things that happened, which caused other things to happen, so that eventually stories emerged." Children as well as adults often ask Lois Lowry where the ideas for her stories came from. In this fascinating, moving autobiography, the Newbery Medalist answers this and many other questions. Her writing often transports readers into her own world. She explores her rich history through family pictures, memories, and recollections of childhood friends. She details pivotal moments that affected her life, inspired her writing, and that magically evolved into rich and wonderful stories that one is reluctant to put down. Lowry fans, and anyone interested in the writing process, will tremendously enjoy this poignant trip through a remarkable writer's past.