Fictionalized Childhood

Tru and Nelle by G. Neri

I cam across this book while watching one of the professional development videos that two of my library science professors have on YouTube. When they were describing it, I knew I needed to read it.

This is the fictionalized version of childhood friends Truman Capote and Harper Lee. It is no secret that they were neighbors in Monroeville, Alabama when they were children, but we (or at least I) don't hear much about this time in their lives. It is also no secret that Truman Capote was the inspiration for Dill in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the great American novel.

In fact, there are a great many parallels between this book and Mockingbird, which is one thing I loved about this book. It was just like reading the exploits of Scout and Dill because Nelle and Truman were those fictional children. And since it is written at the lower end of the young adult novel spectrum, the potential to introduce younger children to these two authors (and amazing characters) is great.

In short, I loved this book.