SKU: 57957165221

I Am a Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories

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I Am a Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories"Swope's marvelous, moving book revives the teaching memoir . . . And takes it to new realms of tenderness, insight and humanity." Phillip Lopate In 1995, writer Sam Swope gave a workshop to a third grade class in a Queens school bursting at the seams with kids from around the world. So enchanted was he with his twenty eight students that he "adopted" the class for three years, teaching them to write stories and poems. I Am a Pencil is the story of

"Swope's marvelous, moving book revives the teaching memoir . . . And takes it to new realms of tenderness, insight and humanity." -Phillip Lopate

In 1995, writer Sam Swope gave a workshop to a third-grade class in a Queens school bursting at the seams with kids from around the world. So enchanted was he with his twenty-eight students that he "adopted" the class for three years, teaching them to write stories and poems. I Am a Pencil is the story of his years with this very special group of students. It is as funny, warm, heartbreaking, and hopeful as the children themselves.

Swope follows his colorful troop of resilient writers from grades three to five, coaxing out their stories, watching talents blossom, explode, and sometimes fizzle. We meet Cindy (whose mom was a Taoist priestess), Brian (who cannot seem to tell the truth), and Lourdes (a wacky Dominican chatterbox). Preparing his students for a world of adult dangers, Swope is astonished by their courage, their humanity, and most of all, their strength. I Am a Pencil is a book about the power and magic of imagination, providing a unique window on the immigrant experience as seen through the lives of children.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Published: 09/05/2000
ISBN: 9780805078510
Pages: 297
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.40w x 0.80d
Award: Books for a Better Life - Winner

Review Citations: New York Times 09/04/2005 pg. 24
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SKU: 57957165221

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4.4 ★★★★★
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Verified Purchase
FireCapt.
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful story
Format: Kindle
Loved this book and the way it was written. Written words are a beautiful thing. Highly recommend this book to all
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026
L
Verified Purchase
LL
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Staying Connected Old School
Format: Kindle
The written word has power. Letter witing creates kindred connection. The Correspondant is a wonderful reminder of both! Full of heart and real life in out world not just smiles and happy moments.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
K
Verified Purchase
Kindly Said
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 4
Beautifully written and unique conversational format
Format: Hardcover
This was a great read—sad, but very well done. I really enjoyed the conversational format, since I’ve never read a book told in quite that way before. It felt fresh and different, and the writing was excellent. Overall, it was a very engaging and memorable book.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026
L
Verified Purchase
LCD
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
many feelings
Format: Kindle
I didn’t know what this book was about when I first started reading.. one thing I felt at the beginning was…amazement? I love writing letters, something I don’t do often, I recently bought this beautiful fountain pen, I wanted to start small, writing greeting cards to family and friends, birthday cards, thank yous, etc. what I didn’t expect is the emotional toll this book had on me, and other members of my family who read the book for our book club. The subject matters, death of a child, husband dying of cancer, the significance of May 29th, all impacted our family, and so, as I read this book, I had to put it down several times because I had to cry, compose myself, think of regrets I have, and remember. How amazing it is that Sybil was able to write all about the death of her child to her dead child. I always say that writing it down on paper releases your burden in your head…it is true, I think writing letters, even the ones she didn’t send helped her quiet her head, at least for a while. I truly love this book. I have been borrowing books from Libby to read for our book club for a very long time, there have been books that I fell in love with, and always thought if I want to read them again I’ll just borrow them again, this book is the first one that I want to own physically to put on my shelf and know that I have it to read over and over again when I want to reflect and then quiet my head. ( This is the longest review I’ve written about a book I’ve read, I hope it makes sense).
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
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Verified Purchase
L. Higgins
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
Successful Epistolary Novel
Format: Kindle
When we first meet Sybil Van Antwerp, age 73, she is retired from law and spends a lot of time writing letters and emails. She also reads a lot and is interested in what her correspondents are reading. She has children and grandchildren, but she lives alone in Annapolis, Maryland, and doesn’t see her family very often. During the course of reading her correspondence, we very gradually learn about Sybil—her history and her present troubles. She is a complicated character and several times in reading The Correspondent I paused to ask myself what I thought of Sybil—did I like her? What about her kept me from the immediate response a reader usually has about the main character of a book? Even at the end of the book, I am still ambivalent about Sybil, but I certainly understand her much better. Sybil, herself, and the book have so many layers. There is true depth to the story. My book club took deep dives into it over a period of three weeks, and I don’t think we have sampled all the topics represented in this book. It is a wonderful novel for stimulating meaningful discussion. Neurodivergence is not called out or named, but it comes to mind in thinking about Harry, a child who is the son of a judge, a former colleague of Sybil. The boy doesn’t quite fit in socially with his peers, but he is brilliant. Sybil makes the perfect “pen pal” for Harry because they have some of the same characteristics. As a child she was punished for “insolence and rudeness,” but her parents were just trying to mold her into a polite young lady as expected by society. She was blunt and didn’t have many friends. There are so many other issues worthy of discussion, but they would most certainly bring up spoilers. I won’t do that to you. Readers should have the opportunity to see the story gradually emerge from the letters, including a continuing one that the reader doesn’t know to whom Sybil is writing. Sybil sets the word “stone” for secrets, and there are stones in this book making it a puzzle, a mystery of sorts—for the reader. As a reviewer, I tend to go quickly from one book to the next as soon as I have composed and published my thoughts. Characters in various books can even blend together. This is not the case with The Correspondent. The characters in this book, especially Sybil, have stayed with me and come to mind frequently as I go through my day. Virginia Evans has created a fictional world with impact. Just as Sybil needed time (years in her case) to process the events of her life, the reader will need time to process them and their effects on Sybil as well.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2026

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