Rookie Magazine has a feature called “Ask a Grown” in which young people ask questions about love and life, and impressive grown-ups (like Hillary Clinton, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephen Colbert, and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys) answer them. So I thought it would be cool to do something similar except adults would ask the questions and young people would answer… View Post
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, October 2015 Suggested age range: 10 and up An ALA Notable Children’s Book for Middle Readers Summary: For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is… View Post
THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH, by Ali Benjamin Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in 2015 National Book Award Finalist Suggested age range: 10-13 years *This page contains Amazon affiliate links SUMMARY: Suzy Swanson is pretty sure she knows the real reason Franny Jackson died. Everyone says that there’s no way to be certain…that sometimes things just happen…. View Post
Welcome to the very first Ask a Youth Interview! In these short interviews, a teen or tween answers a few questions to help us adult writers better capture the youthful point of view in our YA and Middle Grade books. This week we hear from Quinn, age seventeen. Basic Stats: Name: Quinn Age: 17 Favorite Food: quesadillas Favorite… View Post
THE GRAHAM CRACKER PLOT, by Shelley Tougas Published by Roaring Brook Press, September 2014 suggested age range: 8 – 12 years SUMMARY: Daisy Bauer doesn’t have much. She doesn’t have a nice place to live or especially responsible parents (her mom is on vacation with her new boyfriend, and her dad is in jail). What Daisy does have is hope,… View Post