-
Interview Alert — Emma Walton Hamilton’s Just Write for Children online courses
Hi, all — I want to alert you to an updated interview with Emma Walton Hamilton, about her online courses, Just Write for Kids, Just Write for Middle Grade, and Just Write for Young Adults. She has updated the courses (as well as the interview), and I don’t want you to miss this! These courses…
-
WHEN to Read Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People — Part Five in the Series
In the almost ten years (!) since I wrote this series of blog posts under the umbrella heading of “reading aloud to the elderly,” there have been many changes in the world. Terminology has changed, so that I’ve found it important to change the word “elderly” to older people, despite the fact that it has…
-
I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin — Book Recommendation
Title: I Lived on Butterfly Hill Author: Marjorie Agosín Publisher: New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014. Genre: Historical fiction Audience Age: 11 to 15 years Themes, topics: Home, exile, Chile, refugees Opening Sentences: The blue cloud finally opens—just when the bell rings to let the Juana Ross School out for the weekend. I’d…
-
WHERE to Read Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People — Part Four in the Series
In the almost ten years (!) since I wrote this series of blog posts under the umbrella heading of “reading aloud to the elderly,” there have been many changes in the world. Terminology has changed, so that I’ve found it important to change the word “elderly” to older people, despite the fact that it has…
-
Heading into the New Year — and a book: Inventing the Rest of Our Lives by Suzanne Braun Levine
Near the end of 2016, I will turn 60. Although many people dread such a number, I am (oddly, perhaps) looking forward to it. Although my 50s brought great grief, they also brought great joy, learning, expansion of horizons, experiences beyond my hopes and dreams, and tremendous opportunities. I look forward to my 60s, wondering,…
-
It’s TIME! Time to Celebrate THE KID WHO REVIEWS BOOKS!
Once a year, we get a chance to celebrate all that Erik, the fantastic KID WHO REVIEWS BOOKS, does in the kidlit community and for the greater community of readers everywhere. I first got to know Erik (as did many of us) when he was MUCH younger — just NINE years old — participating in…
-
Creativity? Creativi-TREE!
One evening last week, I posted a bit of a teaser on my personal Facebook timeline. I said In case you’ve ever wondered, one roll of silver foil wrapping paper from Dollarama will wrap ten empty tissue boxes. (Well, it would wrap them even if they were full, but that would be counter to my…
-
HOW to Read Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People — Part Three in the Series
In the almost ten years (!) since I wrote this series of blog posts under the umbrella heading of “reading aloud to the elderly,” there have been many changes in the world. Terminology has changed, so that I’ve found it important to change the word “elderly” to older people, despite the fact that it has…
-
Words of Remembrance as November 11th Approaches
Many countries observe November 11th as a day of remembrance, honoring those who have served and sacrificed in wartime. In Canada, we call this day Remembrance Day. In the United States, it is Veterans Day. It is important that those people’s stories not be forgotten. There are other stories, as well — stories of families…
-
Creativity: Costumes, Challenges, Coloring and Contests!
Although Halloween is over, I’m still marveling at the incredible creativity of so many of the costumes I saw on Saturday (both in real life and on Facebook). For me, one of the best I saw at the mall (where kids can go from store to store for treats) was a container of popcorn. A…
-
WHAT to Read Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People — Part Two in the Series
In the almost ten years (!) since I wrote this series of blog posts under the umbrella heading of “reading aloud to the elderly,” there have been many changes in the world. Terminology has changed, so that I’ve found it important to change the word “elderly” to older people, despite the fact that it has…
-
Names and Titles: a writer’s thoughts on choosing them well
Names. Titles. Sometimes it seems that coming up with the right ones takes nearly as much time as crafting the book itself. I know I spend a long time trying to get my characters’ names, and my book titles, just right. It may seem to the non-writer that a name is a name. But imagine…