Have you ever felt like you were a character in a novel? When an unexpected thunderstorm hit the day that I left my converible top down at Wegmans, I felt like Stephanie Plum in one of Janet Evanovich’s novels. Stephanie manages to “total” a car in every book.

But last week I felt like I was a character in one of my own books: Mrs. Levine, the teacher in my Rochester kids’ novels. Mrs. Levine is always taking her students on field trips to Rochester landmarks. In Theft at George Eastman House  there are so many school kids on field trips the day that Mrs. Levine and her students arrive, that someone takes advantage of the commotion to steal a valuable candlestick. So last week, Gary and I were touring the historic area of St. Augustine, Florida, and the place was mobbed with kids. They were all over the place, running down the narrow streets and crowding other people out of the gift shops. More than one clerk complained to us about how rude they were. When I started feeling anxious, I had to remind myself that these were not my own children nor my students, so they were not my responsibility. I’m glad that I can just let Mrs.  Levine handle those situations from now on.