Award-winning author Pam Munoz Ryan shared her philosophy of writing with our Middle School students.  "Part of the appeal of writing is similar to the enchantment of reading. They are both quests. Except that when I write, I'm the creator and choose the path. I can be as strong as Charlotte in Riding Freedom, as adventurous as Amelia and Eleanor in Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, and as determined as Marian Anderson in When Marian Sang. I can begin as one type of character and evolve into another, like Esperanza in Esperanza Rising and Naomi in Becoming Naomi León. Or, I can sort out the issues of life by way of the unexpected journeys I take with my characters, as I did with Maya in Paint the Wind."   Enchant your young reader with a signed collection of Paint the Wind, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi Leon, Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride and When Marian Sang.