An author of popular fiction for children tells her own story through the device of personal flashbacks occasioned by her discovery of a blacksnake that took up residence in or near the building where her writing studio is located. Byars' writes compellingly about her childhood and some of her adult experiences as a writer within the context of her encounters with "Moon" the snake. Byars' books published between 1962 and 1991 are listed at the end of an unusual approach to autobiography. (Ages 8-14)

The Moon that inspires Betsy Byars's memoir isn't the one in the sky, but a huge, harmless blacksnake she finds in the rafters of her porch. This meeting begins an exploration of the writing process. With energy, wit, and delight, the Newbery medalist shows how "the good scraps" of her life, from a bully named Bubba to a gift-wrapped dime, weave into her work.