The Mary Sue Project.

Literary characters; Classroom activities; Wrinkle in Time, A (Book); L'Engle, Madeleine, 1918-2007; Books & reading; Teaching; Fiction writing; Literature studies; Education

The article discusses the author's experiences teaching fifth-grade English at an all-girls school. It comments on how the author uses a writing exercise in her classroom where the students take a moment from their favorite novel and write themselves into the story. The project, called The Mary Sue Project, begins each year as the class finishes Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time." The exercise helps students think about reading prose differently once another character is introduced.