Victoria At Nine - 1st Edition/1st Printing

I received this book as a ninth birthday present and absolutely fell in love with it. I read it many times over the years when I was younger but had the misfortune to misplace it during a move. It had such an impact on me even as a child and a young adult that I found it imperative to find another copy so that I may pass along some of its magic to the next generation. I hope that my own children enjoy it as much as I did.

The book is labeled "A Fable for Adults," but I think an intelligent, perceptive child of nine and up would get a lot out of it too. I would highly recommend that elementary-school librarians introduce any real-life Victorias in their school to this book. It could help them feel less alone.

I first read this book in 1981 after a visit to the library, and haven't been able to find it anywhere since. I was prompted to look for it on the Internet because of a letter to a children's advice column I read last week. The parent was distressed by her 4-year-old's imaginary playmates and wondered how she could get him to "act normal". Thank God that she was advised to let him be his own wonderful, imaginative self. Victoria At Nine showed the tyranny of forcing children to conform to our own ideas of normalcy. Victoria was a very intelligent, imaginative child, and talking to her stuffed animals helped her make sense of the confusing, frightening adult world in which she lived. As I was reading, the animals seemed real to me, too. Her parents' desperate attempts to get her to conform; to "be more normal" were cruel and terrible, including forcing her to bury her stuffed friends in the back yard. I was riveted by this book and have never forgotten it. I was very surprised to see that it is out of print. I now have a beautiful child of my own, and encourage his imagination and creative spirit. This book is a must for parents. Victoria At Nine is a very special, memorable book indeed.