
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 23, 1995                   TAG: 9504240013
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ARTICLE FOCUSES ON AUTHOR'S ERROR

I am writing in response to the article in your paper [in the Current's Class Notes, April 4] about the nationally known author Will Hobbs' visit to Blacksburg Middle School. I am a seventh-grader at Blacksburg Middle, one of the many kids who read and discussed one or more of Will Hobbs' books with the class in preparation for his visit. The novels were wonderful and when Mr. Hobbs came to talk to us the slides, stories, and explanations about the real places in the books, had more meaning and beauty to them. The experience was a unique and informational one, filled with excitement, and it was an honor that Mr. Hobbs would consider coming to our school.

Unfortunately, however, I feel that the meaning of the experience was lost in your article due to the majority of it being centered around what you thought of as a punctuation mistake, instead of the visit from adolescent novelist Will Hobbs. The article made BMS look very stupid and it humiliated many people. I feel that it was not necessary to joke about someone's "mistake", especially since in this case, there was none. Using a hyphen in "adolescent novelist" is no longer thought of as necessary punctuation.

Thank you for publicizing the event, but please don't do it in a belittling manner.

Laura Merola

Blacksburg

by CNB