Odessa is beginning to share my enthusiasm for children's career literature. I list the NCDA middle/junior school career development competencies, that are divided into three categories:

1. self-knowledge,
2. educational and occupational exploration, and
3. career planning.^{note 12}

These competencies help children develop self knowledge: (a) knowledge of the influence of a positive self-concept, (b) skills to interact positively with others, and (c) knowledge of the importance of growth and change. Whether your middle-school children are into a fantasy, such as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, an adventure story, such as Hill's Take It Easy^{note 13} (1997 adventure of a group of teenage backpackers who become lost in the New Zealand bush), or a historical novel, such as Louisa Mae Alcott's Little Women, they may discover the joy of reading classic books by viewing the story in a movie. Pre-teens identify with the search for self-identity that takes them into foreign lands of history, sci fi, peer relationships, and adventure.

The NCDA middle school competency theme, "career planning," covers decision-making skills, knowledge of the interrelationship of life roles, different occupations and changing male/female roles, and understanding of career planning. In addition to reading about others' experiences, middle school age children can write about their own experiences by creating a career portfolio. In the portfolio, they can draw and write about their hopes and dreams for the future, as well as past experiences that influenced how they are today.