The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt [Import] [Paperback]

Patricia MacLachlan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd; New Ed edition (July 25, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074452055X
• ISBN-13: 978-0744520552
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Patricia MacLachlan was born on the prairie, and to this day carries a small bag of prairie dirt with her wherever she goes to remind her of what she knew first. She is the author of many well-loved novels and picture books, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal; its sequels, Skylark and Caleb's Story; and Three Names, illustrated by Mike Wimmer. She lives in western Massachusetts.

In Her Own Words..."One thing I've learned with age and parenting is that life comes in circles. Recently, I was having a bad time writing. I felt disconnected. I had moved to a new home and didn't feel grounded. The house, the land was unfamiliar to me. There was no garden yet. Why had I sold my old comfortable 1793 home? The one with the snakes in the basement, mice everywhere, no closets. I would miss the cold winter air that came in through the electrical sockets."

"I had to go this day to talk to a fourth-grade class, and I banged around the house, complaining. Hard to believe, since I am so mild mannered and pleasant, isn't it? What did I have to say to them? I thought what I always think when I enter a room of children. What do I know?"

"I plunged down the hillside and into town, where a group of fourth-grade children waited for me in the library, freshly scrubbed, expectant. Should I be surprised that what usually happens did so? We began to talk about place, our living landscapes. And I showed them my little bag of prairie dirt from where I was born. Quite simply, we never got off the subject of place. Should I have been so surprised that these young children were so concerned with place, or with the lack of it, their displacement? Five children were foster children, disconnected from their homes. One little boy's house had burned down, everything gone. 'Photographs, too,' he said sadly. Another told me that he was moving the next day to place he'd never been. I turned and saw the librarian, tears coming down her face."

"'You know,' I said. 'Maybe I should take this bag of prairie dirt and toss it into my new yard. I'll never live on the prairie again. I live here now. The two places could mix together that way!' 'No!' cried a boy from the back. 'Maybe the prairie dirt will blow away!' And then a little girl raised her hand. 'I think you should put that prairie dirt in a glass bowl in your window so that when you write you can see it all the time. So you can always see what you knew first.'"

"When I left the library, I went home to write. What You Know First owes much to the children of the Jackson Street School: the ones who love place and will never leave it, the ones who lost everything and have to begin again. I hope for them life comes in circles, too."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous and touching, April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt (Charlotte Zolotow Books) (Paperback)

I bought this book in the 4th grade simply because the main character and I shared the same name. I couldn't fully appreciate the book back then, but I do now. _Facts_and_Fictions_ has become one of my favorite books because it has so many wonderful aspects. MacLachlan has such a unique way of writing about all of Minna's relationships--with her mother, her brother, her crush, and her cello. I've also dog-eared and highlighted many pages in my worn copy of the book; every sentence MacLachlan wrote was carefully constructed. No matter what your age, I think you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE this book!, September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt (Charlotte Zolotow Books) (Paperback)

I first read this book in 6th grade and I loved it then because it was sort of the image of who I wanted to be. I have read it so many times since then and I still love it. I am a violist and I hope to become professional after college, so this book means a lot to me. I also have a stand partner is Symphony who reminds me a lot of Lucas (only he talks a lot less). The only thing I didn't like about this book is that when you learn vibrato, you can't do it all of a sudden; you have to practice about a year before you get it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent coming-of-age story., April 12, 2001

By 

Dana H. Pasterjak "Dana" (Palm Coast, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt (Charlotte Zolotow Books) (Paperback)

Patricia MacLachlan has such a wonderous way of writing and an economy with words. Despite the fact that I am not "musical" in any way I could understand and learn quite a bit about the world of concerts and stringed instruments. The author's flowing style of writing made it easier to synthesize. The characters are great. You can feel that teenage angst all over again, however painful it may be! I wanted to read this whole story. As a fifth grade teacher, we read a portion of this tale in the Scholastic series. The students really seem to respond to Minna's troubles, so it inspired me to go out and purchase the book to read the entire story. I could not put the book down once I sat down to read the whole story! It is a most enjoyable book for students of pre-teen age to read and relate to! As an adult, I enjoyed it as well.