Certain experiences mark the beginning of maturity.

Certain experiences mark the beginning of maturity. I think this statement was well protrayed in the book "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. In the story "Tuesdays with Morrie," a man named Morrie is dying of a disease. Morrie was a college professor before he was taken by the disease. Mitch, a former student of his, was very close to him in his college days. After Mitch graduates he tells his old professor he will visit him, but he never does. It's years later and Mitch is the type of man who is always wrapped up in his work, he doesn't see the important things in life anymore. He bases his life around money and has no time for his wife. When the company Mitch works for goes on strike, he is out of a job. One day while flipping through the channels he sees a story on his old professor; Morrie. He finds out that he is dying, so Mitch, being out of a job, starts to visit his teacher every Tuesday. Morrie is the phylisophical type and he shares his views with Mitch. Mitchs experience with his dying professor Morrie marks a major growth in his maturity. Mitch starts to see what really matters in life. The book Tuesdays with Morrie is a good read, and a great example of how some experiences mark the beginning of maturity.
The second book I would like to bring to your attention is pendragon, by D.J. MacHale.



Pendragon is a fantasy style story where things aren't what they seem. There are worlds outside of our own, only some people can travel to them. These people are called travelers, and the traveler for earth is Bobby Pendragon. Bobby is your average high school student, he's just kissed the girl of his dreams and he's going to his big basketball game. Bobby is the best player on the team and he knows how much they need him. When his uncle comes to the door and asks him to hop on his motor cycle, Bobby wants to refuse, this game is to important, but his uncle doesn't give him a choice. It turns out Bobbys uncle is the original traveler from earth and it is now Bobbys responsibility. His uncle is taking him to something called a flume, where he is expected to take over the position of being a traveler and shoot to another world. They go down into the abandoned subway tunnels in the bronx of newyork where they are shot at by a man named Saint dane. Saint dane is the antagonist in the novel bent on making the worlds collapse, Bobbys new enemy. Bobby has now been shot at, and flys to another world where he is treated like dirt. In the land called 'Eelong" people are no better than animals. Gone are Bobbys days of basketball and girls, he has turned a new leaf in his life and is forced into maturity because of it.


Rowan of Rin by Emily Rowe is a good childrens novel that shows maturity in a whole community. Rowan is a young boy in a village where toughness is everything. People live off the sweat of their backs and young Rowan is a weak coward who prefers to tend the bukshaw than hunt or cut wood. His father was a great, strong man before he died so Rowan is looked down upon more than ever for his weakness. When the river in the valley dries up people are getting dehydrated, the live stock is dying. The people of the village consult the old witch to get a map to the rivers base but the map she gives them only shows on the paper when Rowan touches it, so they are forced to bring him along. The cause of the problem is up a forbidden mountain most would be to scared to climb under different circumstances. The mountain holds many tasks for the trio, and it seems that the people who they thought were the strongest, failed. Some couldn't swim, others feared spiders or gave into illusion. In the end, Rowan is the only one who can help. When they reach the top of the mountain (Rowan and strong John being the remaining two) strong John is defeated, he is to tired to go on and he passes out. Rowan finds that source of the problem is an injured dragon, it creates ice instead of fire and froze the river in it's agony. Rowan who was so good with the animals in the village, sees the animals pain through its rage, it has a sharp objecy it's jaws. Rowan bravely goes forward to help the ailing dragon, where as strong John woke up and tried to kill it. In the end the village sees Rowan true strength as a person, and not for his ablilitys. They mature in their views of what defines strength.



Tuesdays with Morrie, Pendragon, and Rowan of Rin, all have characters that display the beginning maturity.