The first six weeks of my baby’s life I didn’t do any writing except a bit of blogging, but I did do some manuscript swapping with other writers. I managed to read one full manuscript for my writer friend Bethany Veinman, often while breastfeeding. Ironically, her work-in-progress was a diary novel, which is the format of my most recent… View Post
FLYING LESSONS, edited by Ellen Oh — A Middle Grade Bookshelf Review for Writers
FLYING LESSONS & OTHER STORIES, edited by Ellen Oh published by Crown Books for Young Readers, January 2017 suggested age range: 8 – 12 years *This post contains affiliate links. SUMMARY: Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of… View Post
What Is Ask a Youth?
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 — A Middle Grade Bookshelf Review for Writers
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 – A Middle Grade Bookshelf Review for Writers
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