My Own Private Sky

I must admit that it has been a number of years since I read My Own Private Sky. It was my pleasure, shortly thereafter, to meet the author Delores Beckman when she visited our school in Camp Verde, AZ (which was near her home at the time). My recollection of the story was that it was primarily a character study of the relationship between a young boy, who is unhappy because of the changes in his life, and his peculiar neighbor who eventually becomes his friend. He and his mother, who is now a single parent, have recently moved. He has no friends or family for support in his new home. His friendship with his neighbor, an eccentric grandmotherly figure, allows him to discover that he can be who he is and true to himself no matter where he is living. His own private sky will always be with him. During her visit to our school Delores Beckman was delightful in explaining to the students how she developed the setting, characters, and theme of her book. The main character reminded me, to some extent, of Lee Botts in Dear Mr. Henshaw, but this story takes different turns, and ultimately may be more realistic. Since I moved to Missouri I have not found the book, though had I, I would have recommended it to my students here.