From a Swiss/Croatian Girl

Comment:

I hope you are doing great! Every once in a while I go to the Alice McKinley blog and read through some of the fan letters that you post. Boy, they make me smile a lot! Why? Because I find myself reading the letters, and it’s all the same things I’d like to tell you myself!

I have written to you twice before and receiving a response from you to my email filled my heart with joy and love! Thank you so much! Thank you that you take your time to carefully answer to all your readers. This is so kind and thoughtful of you, and it means so much for every reader to read a response from you.

I’ve promised to write you again, and I think now is the appropriate time for my next email. This time I wanted to tell you a little bit about one big impact that the story of Alice had on me and my life. I grew up in Switzerland where I started reading the Alice books when I was around 10 years old. Ever since I’ve read the books, every once in a while (lately less often but more dearly) I’d pick up a book and dive into her world which I felt being part of. Growing up with Alice, I dreamed about living in a surrounding where Alice lived. And I managed to make my dream come true! This year, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to do an exchange program at a university in North Carolina where I could live for 3 months and spend a summer (a summer almost like in Maryland). I thank you for giving me a friend like Alice, and a world I read about and that felt so real to me that I could see myself in it. This gave me the strenght and hope to reach out for my dreams and work hard to make them come true. I wish I had had the chance to meet you in person at a reading or something like that. I carry you in my heart, dear Phyllis, because you’re a wonderful person, author, rolemodel, and Alice-mother!! Your books do mean so much that they impact and change our lives, give us hope, strenght and comfort! And the best thing is that we can hand down the books and Alice to our younger generations. 

Phyllis replied:

How wonderful that you could come to this country for three months!  I would have loved to be a mouse in the corner and see your reactions, good and bad, to Americans.  I hope that most of your experiences were good ones and that we were warm and welcoming.

One of my granddaughters had a chance to be part of a volunteer program in Bolivia for six weeks, and that was such a unique experience for her.  I’m so pleased that the Alice books have been meaningful to you, and helpful in some way.  Thank you for taking time to write to me.  I will treasure your email.