Most kids write stories, but only a few of them grow up to be Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, or Norman Mailer. This gathering of childhood creations by almost 30 of today's most celebrated writers is funny and surprisingly informative. Today these authors dominate the best seller lists and occupy the most celebrated spots on the bookshelves of our stores, libraries, and homes, but years ago, they were kids having fun by writing stories. The writers include Allan Gurganus, Margaret Atwood, Amiri Baraka, Gloria Naylor, Pat Conroy, Joyce Carol Oates, Gore Vidal, Susan Minot, Ursula K. LeGuin, John Hersey, Rita Dove, Stephen King, Amy Tan, Norman Mailer, Paul Bowles, Maxine Hong Kingston, Roy Blount, Jr., Charles Johnson, William Styron, Stanley Elkin, Madeline L'Engle, Louis Auchincloss, Fred Chappell, Tobias Wolff, W.P. Kinsella, Gail Godwin, Stephen Dixon, Vance Bourjaily, and John Updike.