Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 Violet had a hamster and a miniature turtle who lived in a shallow plastic bowl under a palm tree with snap-on fronds. One night, the hamster nosed out of his poorly latched cage and scampered across the glowing iron surface of the gas heater, blistering the bottoms of his tiny pink feet.#2 Violet was beautiful and much loved by the general public. She represented herself as both entitled to and surprised by her pampering. She had a Snoopy box purse that smelled like grated lemon peel and baby powder.#3 I spent that summer reading, and I fell into a deep well of idleness, which was stifling. I spent the summer reading the Edgar Rice Burroughs books, and I imagined running away to Africa to find a man like Tarzan.#4 My mother was a teacher, and she would spend her mornings at a local college studying for her teaching certificate. She wanted a higher standard of life than the local average, and she feared destitution.