Sometimes kids just act impulsively, but it's because we have strong feelings, not because we're trying to make trouble.

Another Thing I'm Sick of Hearing: If I started that gay rights group, I must be gay. So if i start an animal rights group, what does that make me? A giraffe?

Sometimes I wish I were a character in a book and there was a writer out there giving me things to say.

I hated that the soldier doll had my name. I mean, please. I didn't play with him much. He was another Christmas present from my clueless grandparents. One time when they were visiting, my grandpa asked me if G.I. Joe had been in any wars lately. I said, "No, but he and Ken got married last week." Every Christmas since then, my grandparents have sent me a check.

Sometimes kids just act impulsively, but it's because we have strong feelings, not because we're trying to make trouble.

We all start out thinking that there is such a thing as perfection and that there's something wrong with us if we settle for less. First we won't eat the food with the brown spots. Then we hate ourselves because we have our own brown spots—pimples or ears that are too big or legs that are too skinny.

Banning books is just another form of bullying. It's all about fear and an assumption of power. The key is to address the fear and deny the power.