The creativity and heart of young people never ceases to amaze me. I was struck again recently while browsing a copy of the book True Character: Letters from Your Bookshelf. This remarkable book was written by the 2005-2006 sophomore gifted/honors English students at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia.

The book is a compilation of letters written from the viewpoints and voice of popular and contemporary literary characters, giving advice about different aspects of life. The class has generously agreed to donate all proceeds (after expenses) to First Book.

In a letter about acceptance and tolerance, Huckleberry Finn, from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, writes,

“…I just gotta say that y’all shouldn’t be makin’ no judgements, good or bad, on people just ’cause the color of their skin. It just ain’t right. There’s good an’ bad folks in the world. It ain’t fit to judge a person afore you even know ‘em, a’cause you don’t never know how they’re really gonna be on the inside of ‘em.”

Other letters are written by memorable characters such as Frodo Baggins, Scout and Atticus Finch, Charlie Bucket, Cyrano De Bergerac, and The Grinch.

In addition to the character letters, this collection includes comments from celebrities and authors on the importance of reading and literature. Contributors to this collection include Paul Newman, Sir Derek Jacobi, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, and Jaclyn Smith.

In the book’s introduction, the class states, “Our goal for this project was to publish a book that would educate and entertain readers. We also wanted to generate money for charity. Impossible? We were determined to try. The end product turned out better than we could have ever imagined.”

The work of these students is extraordinary! To order, please contact Omega Books, Peachtree City, Ga. 770-487-3977.