Real-life Connections
The book includes several elements related to the author's real life.
- The two main characters are named for the author's children, Todd and Lisa Nelson.
- The story takes place in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, Illinois where Lisa and Todd Nelson lived at the time the book was written.
- Grand Avenue does in fact exist in Glen Ellyn, and a careful examination of the text and of a map of Glen Ellyn reveals that the "Chidester Avenue Gang" would have been based only a block away.
- The school teacher Mrs. Moran, who taught Social Studies, mentioned in the book was a real teacher at Hadley Jr. High, also in Glen Ellyn.
Read more about this topic: The Girl Who Owned A City
Famous quotes containing the word connections:
“The quickness with which all the stuff from childhood can reduce adult siblings to kids again underscores the strong and complex connections between brothers and sisters.... It doesnt seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far weve traveled. Our brothers and sisters bring us face to face with our former selves and remind us how intricately bound up we are in each others lives.”
—Jane Mersky Leder (20th century)