On the Return of DEAR AMERICA

I'm very intrigued by Scholastic's relaunch of the Dear America series this fall.  I had mixed feelings about the original books — some were terrific, some were not, and all were packaged in a way that made kids think they were real diaries.  So, first of all, let me say — Bravo, Scholastic, for now putting the author names on the covers.  That will definitely help young readers better understand that the diary writers are fictional characters and did not really exist.

Because, yes, in my...