Dear Mr. Watterson,

Howdy! I saw an opportunity to write to you and I grabbed it. I’ve always felt alone in this world because I’m well … different, you could say. I’m a twelve-year-old girl who reads comic books. Even though I’m older, I still like to laugh. “Calvin and Hobbes” does just that for me.

Most of my friends think I’m crazy. They just don’t read “Calvin and Hobbes,” so they don’t understand anything. I wish Calvin and Hobbes were physically alive. I chose to use the work “physically” because they’re alive in my heart.

Calvin helps me see each day as a new adventure. I laugh at myself much more because of him. Heck, my brothers and I even invented a game called, “Crolf,” it’s like Calvinball. My house is just like his. There’s never a dull moment. Here’s what a typical day sounds like: one brother is in the bathroom giving himself a swirley, Mama’s screaming at me because I’m going down the stairs in a sled… again, Mike is running around like Stupendous Man, Zack is inventing something dangerous, and Dad’s in his chair shaking his head asking himself, “why me?” But at suppertime, we all come together as a normal family does, until after the blessing at least.

After a long crazy day at school, I read “Calvin and Hobbes” and I feel normal again. Usually, at school I’m not “cool” because I wear a sombrero with a blinking sign saying, “look at me!” so to speak. I dance around the room and I’m a superhero, a.k.a., “Kate the Great.” Yes, I have a cape and all.

Once again I would just like to say thanks. Thank you for creating my heroes. They are truly people I can relate to … a lot. Oh, I thought I’d just let you know that you’ve created two cartoon characters that have helped me through many moves. They helped me be myself. “Kate the Great” must now clean her room, because Queen Gherg is forcing her of course.

Yours until Stupendous Man’s secret identity is revealed,

Kate Wieliczkiewicz (“Kate the Great”)