Comprehension

Genre
An Autobiography
is a retelling of
someone’s life told
by that person.

Make Inferences
and Analyze
Draw Conclusions I moved into this house when
As you read, use the I was four years old.
Conclusion Chart.

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Me!

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Read to Find Out

How does the
author use her own
life to write stories?

I had a lot of great friends growing up.

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 Main Selection

Stirring Up
Memories
by
Pam Muñoz Ryan

Here I am with my
favorite doll!

My third-grade class was very big. I’m sitting

in the middle and wearing a plaid dress.
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345
 Growing Up
I grew up in the San Joaquin (wah-keen)
Valley in Bakersfield, California. This area is
known for its hot, dry summers. It is often
more than 100 degrees! When I was a young
girl, I stayed cool by taking swimming
lessons and eating ice pops. I also rode
my bike to the library.

My friends and
I liked to eat ice
pops during the
hot summers in
California.

I loved the library for two important reasons. First,

I could check out a pile of books and take them home
with me. Second, the library was air-conditioned!

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 At my house, I was the oldest of three sisters.
Next door to us, there lived another three girls.
They were all younger than me, too. Whenever
we played together, I was in charge of what we
did. I was the director of the play, or the mom
in a pretend family. Sometimes I was the doctor
who saved their lives!

Here I am opening presents at my

birthday party with my friends.

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347
 I was also the oldest of the 23 cousins in
my family. When we had a family party at my
grandmother’s house, I was the boss again. I would
say, “Let’s pretend this is a circus or a school or a
jungle . . . ” Then I would tell everyone what they
should do and say. I didn’t know it at the time, but
I was already creating stories!

I was about 17 years old at this family

gathering. I’m second from the right in the
back row, holding one of my baby cousins.

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 This family party was at my uncle’s house.
I’m sitting at the table wearing the black sweater.

Some of my favorite memories are of those times

at my grandmother’s house. The kitchen always
smelled like onions, garlic, and roasted peppers.
There was often a big pot of beans on the stove.
A pan of Spanish rice was cooking next to it.
When we were all together, it was crowded and
noisy. Sound familiar? My story, Mice and Beans, is
about a big family gathering and a grandmother who
loves to cook!

Draw Conclusions
Why do you think Pam Muñoz Ryan’s favorite
memories are of her grandmother’s house?

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349
 Finding an Idea
Readers always want to know where I get my ideas.
I wish I could say that I go to an idea store and buy
them. As far as I know, there is no such place.

I like to visit schools.

Children always ask me
where I get the ideas for
my books.

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 Real-life people like Eleanor
Roosevelt (left) and Amelia Earhart
(below) sometimes inspire me to
write stories.

Sometimes my ideas come

from something interesting I
might have read about in a book.
Sometimes they come from
real life, like those times at my
grandmother’s house. Of course,
the clever mice in Mice and Beans
didn’t come from real life. They
came from my imagination.

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351
 For Mice and Beans, I wanted to write a story
about a grandmother getting ready for a big family
party. I wondered what kind of party it could be.
I decided on a birthday party for the youngest
grandchild. In my mind, I saw the grandmother
preparing for a week. Each day, she would carefully
clean her kitchen.

I thought of my
grandmother, Esperanza,
when I wrote Mice and
Beans. In the photo above
she is holding me when I
was a baby.

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 Below is a picture of
one of my own family
parties. It is my son
Tyler’s birthday.

I wondered why my character was so tidy.

Was she worried about ants? Or maybe mice?
As I kept thinking, I imagined what it would be
like if she already had mice but didn’t know it.
That idea made the story seem funnier to me.
Then, one thing led to another.

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353
 That’s what happens when I’m writing. I start out
with one idea. Then, the more I think about it, the more
choices I have for the story. Sometimes I try out different
ideas on paper. Then I choose the one I like best.

Now that I’m an adult, it’s my turn to cook special foods

for my friends and family to enjoy.

Salsa
opped
2 large tomatoes; seeded and ch
& chopped
1 to 2 chile peppers; seeded
1/3 c chopped green onions
2 tb chopped fresh cilantro
2 tb lime juice
1/4 ts salt
Mix well and then cover.
Combine all ingredients.
time.
Refrigerate until serving

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 Once I’ve thought of an idea, it’s time to start writing.

Many people think that writers look far away

to find their stories. The truth is that most writers
look within. They stir up memories and then
sprinkle them with their imagination.

Draw Conclusions
Why do you think Pam Muñoz Ryan says
that most writers look inside themselves for
story ideas? Explain.

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355
 A Writer’s Life
Readers often think that a writer’s life is
glamorous with fancy cars and clothes. For a very
few, that might be true, but my life is much different
than that.
I work at my home in California, near San Diego.
I don’t have to dress up to go to work. I don’t take
long train rides because my desk is in my house.
I get up early, eat breakfast, and go straight to my
office to write.

Working at home means I can walk from

my breakfast table right to my office.

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Sammie and
Buddy keep me
company when
I want to work
and when I
want to play.

I have two friends who love to watch me work.

They are my dogs, Buddy and Sammie. Almost
every day, I take them for a walk, either in my
neighborhood or on the beach.

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357
 For part of the year, the house is mostly quiet.
My husband, Jim, and I have four children, two girls
and twin boys. The girls are grown up now, but the
boys are still in college. They come home during the
summer. Since we live near the Pacific Ocean, there
is a lot of going back and forth to the beach.

My husband, Jim, and I enjoy taking

Buddy and Sammie to the beach.

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Many of my favorite memories
are of times spent at home.

My childhood home

Today when my children are all together in our

house for family occasions, it is crowded and noisy.
It’s just like when I was a little girl. Sometimes I
even cook rice and beans! During these times, we’re
creating new memories. Maybe someday they’ll give
me the idea for another story!

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359
 Stirring Up Ideas
with Pam Muñoz Ryan
Pam Muñoz Ryan likes to visit
classrooms. Children often ask
her how to become a writer. “If you
want to be a writer, first become a
reader,” Pam says. “Daydream every
day and pretend often. That’s where
ideas live—in your imagination.
If you think of a story, write it down
and save it. Someday, it might be the seed
that grows into something magnificent.”

Other books written by

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Find out more about

Pam Muñoz Ryan at
www.macmillanmh.com

Author’s Purpose
Pam Muñoz Ryan wanted to write about what she
did during the summer when she was a girl. Write
about what you like to do in the summer.

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 Comprehension Check
Retell the Story
Use the Retelling Cards to retell
the selection.
Retelling Cards
Think and Compare
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1. Why is this story titled
Stirring Up Memories?
Story Structure: Draw
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Conclusions

2. Reread page 348. What are

some things that Pam enjoyed doing as a
child that she still loves to do as an adult?
Apply

3. Would you like to be a writer? Why or why

not? Evaluate

4. Why might some people think that being a

writer is glamorous? Synthesize

5. Read “Making Stories

Happen” on pages 342–
343. How is Joe Cepeda’s
way of working like Pam’s
way? Reading/Writing
Across Texts

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361