This became a very tedious read which was comprised of exactly what the title said it would - things which Margaret Mitchell wrote in childhood. First, imagine a romance western written by a 7 year old. I don't care how talented, a 7 year old cannot comprehend the scope of what needs to be said. Now add to that, the idea that the transcripts you are reading have been eaten by rats and damaged by water, so that whole pages are missing, so that you have to imagine what fills in those gaps. And on top of that, read the transcripts with individual words and LETTERS missing, replaced by underscores, and you get a headache.

The only saving grace to this work was the editorial text provided by Mary Rose Taylor which explained what made some of the writings significant - primarily by pointing out where family members or childhood friends provided the names/characterizations for some of her works.

As the book progresses, Mitchell's works mature, and they consist of works written in school annuals or newspapers (so you aren't missing wholesale sections of the text) and it is interesting how is can change - but I would expect the same could be said of what I wrote when I was seven compared to seventeen (I hope it got better). Only recommended if you are REALLY interested in Mitchell as a person. Gone With the Wind doesn't even make a cameo appearance in this book. ( )

CCYAA