It is between the ages of nine and ten that children
begin to experience themselves as "I" for the first time
separate individuals, different from their parents and
peers and essentially alone. This inner experience is
sometimes precipitated by the child's first encounter
with death and the first notion that earthly life is fragile
and temporary.

In this insightful book, Koepke offers the reader a lucid,
accessible description of the outer signs and symptoms
of this significant turning point in every child's life.