Same Sun Here Read Free

it is a lost art form. I don’t see what’s so arty about it, but I like to do it. Sometimes I think I’d like to be a newspaper reporter.
    I can’t tell any of my friends at school these things because they’d make fun of me too bad. I am real good at basketball, so that’s all I talk about with them. Let’s say right now that we can tell each other our secrets and we won’t make fun of each other. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you sound weird, too. I am glad of it, because I can be my own true self with you. Maybe it’s because of your looooong letter. Nobody ever wrote me that much, ever. I’m glad it was long, though. And maybe because our names go together so good.
    Why did you pick me to write to?
    I’ve never read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , but I looked at it in the library and it’s pretty thick. It looks kind of girly. Is it? When I was little I was obsessed with the Spiderwick Chronicles and Beverly Cleary, especially Dear Mr. Henshaw and Strider . But my favorite author ever is S. E. Hinton, especially The Outsiders . That book has characters in it who are their own true selves, only with each other, too, and I guess it’s my favorite of all time. S. E. Hinton (who is a GIRL if you can believe it!) was only four years older than me when she wrote it. That blows my mind. I don’t get to read as much as I used to because of basketball practice. If you’re wondering why I underlined the titles it’s because you’re supposed to, to be grammatically correct. Ms. Stidham is real strict about stuff like that. She says that since people all over the world think we’re stupid here in Kentucky, we have to make sure we have good grammar skills. She says that we can have accents and talk any way we want to as long as we’re speaking correctly. So I try to have real good grammar. She’s the only teacher I know who makes us all want to learn and doesn’t tell lame jokes.
    I would die if I had to do the laundry. That’s like the worst possible thing I can think of. What are you some kind of saint or something? LOL.
    I liked your drawing of Mrs. Lau and the dog. Did you REALLY draw that? It’s REALLY, REALLY good. You should think about becoming an artist. You have good handwriting, too. I don’t see how you wrote all of that looooooong letter by hand. I would have been worn out. Once I had to write “I will not talk during arithmetic class” 500 times for my teacher, and I thought I was going to fall over dead before I got finished. I put two pencils together, one on top of the other one, so that I could write it twice at one time. Have you ever tried doing that? It works pretty good, but better if you’re doing it on college-lined paper, because the lines are closer together. Just a little trick in case you ever get in trouble for talking in school.
    I better go. Time for basketball practice.
    Take it easy, Cheesy (ha!),
    River Dean Justice
     
    August 16, 2008
    Dear River,
    Hello from New York City!! Thank you for saying you liked my drawing of Mrs. Lau and Cuba. I think my handwriting is messy, so I am glad you think it’s neat.
    It was nice of you to say those things, but I am wondering, why did you call me weird and cheesy? Also, I’m not “some kind of saint.” You wrote LOL after that but I couldn’t tell if you meant it nice or mean. I don’t mind doing the laundry, even on a Friday. I don’t think you would mind either if you had lived far away from your mom and dad and brother for seven years. I am glad to finally be with them. If you want to know the truth, I think Americans have it easy. I was raised to do whatever is best for everyone in my family — even if it is something that is not fun or relaxing for me. Mum would say I shouldn’t say rude things about Americans to an American. But I guess I already said it, so it is too late.
    You asked how come I picked your name and address, so I will tell you. Kiku always says, “Tell the short version of the story or I’m not