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Author Guest Post: “Why Nature is the Best Classroom” by Jill Neimark, Author of Forest Joy & Nature Explorers

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“Why Nature is the Best Classroom”

On a crisp autumn afternoon last week at Naturally Nurtured Nature School here in Macon, Georgia, I held two sugar gliders—small, nocturnal, gliding animals that look similar to flying squirrels. They peeped out from a soft fleece ‘bag’, gazing up at me with enormous and curious eyes. The kids gathered round, oohing and aahing. We each got to commune with these exotic creatures, and talk about how, at this very moment, similar flying squirrels were sleeping in the trees and waiting for night to hunt for food. The children had lots of questions and comments. “It was so cool!” “The sugar glider tickled when it crawled on me.” “How far can they fly?”

It all happened because the school’s owner, Dawn Willis, and I were planning a class for the kids from my new STEAM activity book, Nature Explorers: Outdoor Activity Book for Kids (Blue Jasper Editions, 2023). We were discussing one of the most basic outdoor activities kids can do, almost anywhere. It’s a kind of gold standard for forest schools. And that is to sit down with a tree and make it your ‘friend’, observing it closely, sketching it, writing down all its features, even decorating it with your own handmade art.

In the book, I had added a storytelling prompt to help the kids with language arts: imagine you’re a flying squirrel named Tom, living in a tree and hunting by night. My book gave the kids a few facts (the squirrels can glide as far as a football field; they can pivot in midair; they huddle in groups to keep warm, they even cuddle with owls sometimes). In a group setting, kids were to gather after a session with their tree friend, and tell a group story about Tom the flying squirrel.

Dawn, ever resourceful, said, “I’ve got a surprise for you!” and ran off to get her two pet sugar gliders, rescued four years earlier. Yes, Dawn has sugar gliders, among many other creatures, from bunnies to frogs to horses.

That led us all to a discussion about what humans can learn from gliding or flying creatures and how creatures like sugar gliders have influenced human flight systems. Just as sugar gliders spread their limbs and use their “patagia” (the flap of skin that stretches between their limbs) to catch air currents, modern aircraft use flaps and winglets to control lift and stability, helping to reduce drag and improve efficiency. Next day’s lesson and activity: design a paper helicopter, and collect different seeds to see how they are designed to ‘fly’ on the wind.

Forest schools like Dawn’s, where learning takes place almost entirely outdoors, are increasingly popular across the globe. And here in the USA, there were over 800 nature-based schools as of 2022. Their popularity is driven by parental concerns over excess screen time, as well as recognition of the benefits of nature-based play. Children today are spending more time inside and on screens than ever before. Studies show that the average kid now spends an average of 7 hours per day on screens, and outdoor playtime has declined by 50% over the last few decades. Many parents want to change that. There are nature pre-schools and forest schools in almost every state now.

Even when kids don’t attend forest school full time, homeschooling parents may send them to a day or two of forest school every week. As of 2023, an estimated 3.7 million students in the U.S. were being homeschooled. Homeschooling parents are often deeply invested in providing their children with diverse learning opportunities, and outdoor play and nature-based education are key components of many homeschool curriculums. According to a 2021 study by Homeschool.com, 72% of homeschooling families reported that spending time outdoors and engaging in nature-based activities were essential parts of their educational plans. These families recognize that outdoor learning enhances academic skills, physical health, and emotional well-being.

That’s why I started my own children’s imprint, Blue Jasper Editions, and wrote Forest Joy (a picture book on mindfulness in nature) and Nature Explorers (an outdoor activity book focused on STEAM skills), to join in this growing movement to help kids enjoy cross-disciplinary learning and life skills while immersed in nature.

My books join some towering classics in the field, such as Play The Forest School Way and the related series of books, by Jane Worroll & Peter Houghton. These books, which come out of Great Britain and are aimed at middle grade and older kids, give detailed instructions on activities in the ‘bush’, along with instructive line drawings (there are 5 copies in my state’s library system, and they are always checked out).

­­Even the recent Caldecott award-winning picture book Watercress, by Andrea Wang, illustrated gorgeously by Jason Chin, is an homage to the intersection of nature and culture, weaving plants in with identity. In the story, while driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl’s Chinese immigrant parents see watercress growing wild by the side of the road, and decide to forage it, cook it, and in that way weave their new world with their old traditions.

Connecting with Nature to Learn and Thrive

When children step outside and immerse themselves in nature, they’re not just playing—they’re learning. Nature offers an endless classroom filled with hands-on activities that stimulate curiosity, self-regulation, adventure and joy. Through outdoor activities, kids can engage in science, language arts, history, and hone their social and emotional skills, all while exploring the world around them. And in play they can connect and develop social competency as well. It’s just easier to bond, to learn to share, when you’re foraging, building, exploring in nature. Nothing substitutes for experience! Learning about flight is one thing. Classroom learning will never match actually holding a sugar glider, learning about its anatomy and how it glides on air currents, examining seeds to see how they utilize wind currents, and building your own paper helicopter.

Here are a few very simple activities from my books you can easily do with your kids or students to get started:

  1. Take a slow, sensory nature walk. Take children on a sensory walk in the woods or your backyard. Ask them to close their eyes and describe the sounds they hear—rustling leaves, chirping birds, the wind in the trees. Ask them to use a magnifying glass to examine seeds, leaves, flowers, and pine cones, anything they find. Ask them to stand still and smell the air and describe it. Afterward, invite them to draw or write about how it all made them feel. This activity helps kids center themselves and practice mindfulness.
  2. Collect leaves, and then examine the leaf veins and stomata under the glass. This can be a jumping off point for teaching kids about stomata (pores in leaves), transpiration (did you know trees are constantly moving water up through their roots, trunks, branches, and out their leaves?), and many more activities explained in Nature Explorers. You can then make leaf skeletons with your kids (there are many step by step instructions to be found online, as well as in my book). Then talk about insect skeletons, mammal skeletons, and plant “skeletons”. What do they have in common? What is unique in each? I have some illustrations in the book, but there are many on the internet as well.
  3. Start a phenology wheel. A phenology wheel is a wonderful way for children to engage with nature and learn about the changing seasons. It’s a circular calendar that tracks natural events, such as plant growth, animal activity, or weather patterns, throughout the year. To get started, get a nature journal and some colored pencils and chalk for your child. Encourage your child to pick a tree or place in the front or back yard, and to observe and record the environment around them every week or month—whether it’s the blooming of flowers, the falling of leaves, the arrival of migratory birds, or the color changes in the landscape. They should record temperature, weather, their own feelings, and sketch what they see as well. As you fill in the wheel together, your child will begin to notice the cyclical nature of life, deepening their connection to the natural world. This hands-on project is not only educational but also fosters mindfulness and curiosity about the environment.
  4. Create a dreamcatcher. Creating a dreamcatcher from a paper plate is a fun and simple craft that can teach children about different cultural traditions while developing their fine motor skills. Start by cutting out the center of a paper plate, leaving the outer ring intact. Punch small holes evenly around the edge of the plate and have your child weave yarn or string across the circle, looping it through the holes to create a web-like pattern. For added decoration, tie colorful feathers and beads to the bottom of the dreamcatcher. You can hang the finished dreamcatcher above your child’s bed or in a window as a creative way to introduce them to the Native American tradition of dreamcatchers, believed to catch bad dreams and let good ones pass through. At forest school, Dawn works with the kids to make dreamcatchers out of vines they collect from wooded areas and weave together. If you’re feeling inspired, you can do the same with your child. The circular nature of the dreamcatcher can lead you into discussions of geometry, sundials and many other areas for exploring science, culture, history and art.
    • Unleashing Readers note: Please make sure to build this foundation around indigenous folks and honoring their beliefs and traditions.
  1. Hold a tea ceremony in nature. Spread a blanket, gather a group of children, and hold a tea ceremony. While drinking tea and perhaps eating some tasty treats, think of ways to thank the sky, trees, flowers, rivers, and earth for all they give. When the tea ceremony is over, pour the last little bit of tea into the earth and say together, “Thank you trees. Thank you sky. Thank you earth. Thank you, green good world.”

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(illustration from Forest Joy)

The Power of Outdoor Learning

By encouraging kids to spend more time outdoors, we can help them cultivate the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly busy, digital world.

Students who participate in cross-disciplinary learning activities show improved problem-solving skills and higher engagement levels. By linking different subjects, such as having kids learn about seed dispersal while practicing engineering principles through the design of paper planes, they not only deepen their understanding but also enjoy the process. This engagement makes learning more enjoyable and can lead to long-term retention of the skills they acquire.

Parents value how outdoor education promotes active, hands-on learning that engages children in subjects like science, math, and language arts in ways that traditional indoor classrooms may not. And for those whose kids are happy in standard schools, or who don’t have the extra funds or time to add in a few days of forest school every week, books like Forest Joy and Nature Explorers offer an accessible way for families to integrate nature-based activities into a solid curriculum, helping their children develop essential skills while fostering a deeper connection with the natural world.

You can purchase either one of my books here on Amazon:

Forest Joy: https://mybook.to/jSfWIIO

Nature Explorers: https://mybook.to/beEaeQe

About the Author: Gillian (Jill) Neimark is an author of adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction, as well as a prolific science journalist. She has published poetry, essays and reviews in numerous literary magazines. Her picture book, The Hugging Tree (Magination Press) is a bestseller and was selected by University of Michigan’s First Great Eight Program for their environmental stewardship module. To read more about her you can access her website: https://www.jillneimark.com and to read more about her new children’s imprint, visit https://www.bluejaspereditions.com

Thank you, Jill, for sharing all of these fun ways to bring the classroom to nature!

Author Guest Post: “Classic Remixes: On Learning to Appreciate Jane Austen” by Tirzah Price, Author of In Want of a Suspect

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“Classic Remixes: On Learning to Appreciate Jane Austen”

I have a confession to make: My first encounter with the work of Jane Austen was not with any of her books, but with the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Maybe it’s because I am now a writer, but this fact often elicits shock and occasionally horror when people learn that I first fell in love not with Jane Austen’s words on the page, but with (gasp) a TV series.

However, I am not at all embarrassed to admit this! I can still remember spending a rainy day at a friend’s house sometime in the sixth or seventh grade, and her mom pulling out a box set and introducing me and my friend to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, as played by Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. We watched two episodes (on VHS tape because yes, I am that old) before I had to go home. I begged my mom to take me to the library so I could check out the rest and see how it ended.

From there, I watched Emma (the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow version), and of course the incredible Sense and Sensibility, starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, as well as the 1999 Mansfield Park. I don’t think that I put two and two together that all of these period movies and shows that I brought to every sleepover were, you know, written by the same person until a couple of years later, when I first attempted to read Pride and Prejudice. (It did not go well–there was much skipping around.) From there, I muddled my way through Emma, and then got about twenty-five pages into Sense and Sensibility before giving up. The prose was dense, there wasn’t nearly as much dialogue as I’d have liked, and Austen spent an awful lot of time summarizing scenes that I’d rather watch unfold on the screen.

I wouldn’t pick up any of Austen’s work for another four years.

In the meantime, I continued to seek out adaptations. I saw Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Bennet in theaters. I fell in love with Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood retelling with exciting singing and dance numbers. I read YA Austen retellings and Austen adjacent books, such as Austenland by Shannon Hale. Sometimes, I struggled with feeling like I wasn’t a “true” fan because I enjoyed adaptations more than the source material.

I was in college before I attempted to read another Austen novel, and this time it clicked. With an ingrained knowledge and appreciation for Austen’s stories and characters, as well as the reading stamina that I honed over years of reading novels that didn’t intimidate me, I actually loved the Austen novels I picked up. I had a better understanding of the Regency period and the social commentary, and that allowed me to laugh at the humor and get swept up in the romance. And with every reading since, I only fall more in love with Austen’s writing and her distinct outlook on social class and society. I appreciate her much more now, as an adult, than I did as a young teen. But without the adaptations and retellings that I consumed by the bucketful from ages 11-18, I’m not sure I ever would have been the Austen fan I am today.

For this reason, I don’t get upset or offended when readers sheepishly tell me that they’ve never read any of Austen’s work, and it’s why when I set out to write my first novel, Pride and Premeditation, it was very important to me to write a satisfying retelling that could also stand on its own, especially for younger readers who might not have had the chance or have the inclination to pick up a more challenging classic. My version is, admittedly, a bit unconventional as I mash up Austen’s classic characters with a murder mystery plot, but it is exactly the sort of thing I would have inhaled at age 13, and I had a lot of fun writing it, even as I worried about whether or not it would find an audience beyond Austenites.

Luckily for me, I needn’t have worried and I am delighted every time I get a note from a reader telling me that they enjoyed my books. More often than not, this is also followed by an admission that they’ve never read the original classic. And that is okay with me. Not every teen is going to gravitate toward the classics just because they’re classics. (Heck, not every adult reader wants to read the classics!) Retellings pique readers’ interest with fun and approachable twists on the classic stories, and especially for younger readers, they give them the confidence and framework to perhaps pick up the original classic someday. I’d even go so far as to say that genre mashups of classics and fresh retellings are what keep those classics relevant and talked about–not necessarily assigning them in high school English class.

I’ve seen the retellings to classics pipeline play out in real life, too. When I was a teen librarian, a few years before my first book was released, I ran a teen book club. We picked the book A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro, a fantastic gender-bent retelling of Sherlock Holmes. Most of my teens had never even read Sherlock Holmes before, and at least one didn’t know the legendary character at all. But they all enjoyed that book, and at the end of the session, a few of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books were checked out of the collection. That wasn’t my end goal, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

And similarly, now that I have my own classic retelling series out in the world, I hope that teen readers pick it up because they’re intrigued by the premise and curious about the plot and characters. I hope the idea of a genre mashup gives them a thrill, and that it sparks an interest that wasn’t there previously. Because no matter how you come to these characters, whether it’s through a YouTube webseries or a musical or a YA novel, we can all agree on one thing: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are a pretty iconic couple.

Published November 12th, 2024 by HarperCollins

About the Book: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that London’s first female solicitor in possession of the details of a deadly crime, must be in want of a suspect.

The tenacious Lizzie Bennet has earned her place at Longbourn, her father’s law firm. Her work keeps her busy, but luckily she often has help from (and steals occasional kisses with) Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a stern but secretly soft-hearted solicitor at Pemberley.

Lizzie is hired to investigate a deadly warehouse fire, and to find the mysterious woman who was spotted at the scene moments before the flames took hold. But when the case leads her to the sitting room of a woman Darcy once proposed marriage to, the delicate balance between personal and professional in their relationship is threatened.

Questions of the future are cast aside when the prime suspect is murdered and Lizzie’s own life is threatened. As the body count rises, and their suspicions about what was really going on in the warehouse grow, the pressure is on for Lizzie and Darcy to uncover the truth.

Lizzie and Darcy are back for more suspense, danger, and romance in this first in a duology spinoff of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries!

About the Author: Tirzah Price grew up on a farm in Michigan, where she read every book she could get her hands on and never outgrew her love for YA fiction. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is a former bookseller and librarian. Now, she’s a senior contributing editor at Book Riot, and co-host of the Hey YA podcast. When she’s not writing, reading, or thinking about YA books, she splits her time between experimenting in the kitchen and knitting enough socks to last through winter. She lives in Iowa.

Thank you, Tirzah, for sharing the resurgence of the love of Austen with us!

Author Guest Post: “Fostering Empathy in Kids Through Literature” by Claire Swinarski, Author of Take it From the Top

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“Fostering Empathy Through Literature”

Most kids are, by their nature, self-centered. This is developmentally appropriate: after all, they’re learning who they are and building up their self-esteem. Children should be focused on themselves. Think of babies, who will happily ruin a wedding or concert by screaming simply because they’re hungry or uncomfortable. Their entire world is their needs and desires.

We do not, however, want kids to stay that way. A large part of growing into an adult is recognizing that there’s an entire world that exists outside of yourself, and that your viewpoint is not the be-all-end-all of a given situation.

That said, teaching empathy is one of the most difficult tasks of a parent, teacher, or caregiver. But luckily, one of the easiest tools at our disposal is a robust reading list.

In my latest novel, Take It from the Top, kids are able to see the exact same events from two different perspectives. Eowyn, who comes from a one-parent household filled with both grief and financial resources, experiences things very differently than Jules, who comes from a family that’s short on cash but rich in affection and affirmation. These two have done what children are so good at doing: looking past differences in order to create a friendship based on love, joy, and common interests. But, at the ripe age of thirteen, as they transition from being children to being young adults, those differences are feeling starker and heavier.

How do books like Take It from the Top help form empathy in kids?

  • Books give kids a safe space to discuss complicated topics. Within stories, kids are able to ask questions that might otherwise feel awkward. They can see the missteps of certain characters—like how Jules struggles to understand Eowyn’s grief, or how Eowyn misinterprets Jules’s envy—and learn from them without making them on their own. So many topics these days are heated and we require perfection in conversations. But kids are imperfect, just like us! They need time and space to learn about issues and form their opinions.
  • Books help kids see themselves. Take It from the Top takes place at a summer camp for musical theater. Will most kids go to a summer camp for musical theater? No. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be in positions where they’re competing with friends, or feeling left out of friend groups, or being disappointed by their own lack of skills in any given department. They can identify problems within books, helping to illuminate these problems in their own lives. By understanding themselves better, they can better regulate their emotional responses.
  • Books help kids explore perspectives they’re unfamiliar with. Kids are laser-focused on their own lives because at their young age, that’s all they’ve really known. Depending on their circumstances, they may be surrounded by a wide diversity of thoughts and experiences, but they may not be. Books allow kids to experience things from different points of view and understand what it’s like for kids that are radically different from themselves.
  • Books fill kids’ hearts with hope. Lastly, any good middle grade book should point kids towards hope. That doesn’t always mean a happy ending—it’s not a spoiler alert to say that Jules doesn’t win the lottery at the end of Take It from the Top, and Eowyn’s mom doesn’t suddenly come back to life. Grief and hardship are real, and kids know that. But what they need to be reminded of is that they can handle grief and hardship. They can be equipped with virtue and courage so that these difficulties become manageable burdens, not all-consuming difficulties. It’s impossible to have empathy without hope for connection.

By reading and discussing books like Take It from the Top, kids can grow in empathy and begin the complicated process of moving from me to we.

Published November 19th, 2024 by Quill Tree Books

About the Book: Set at a camp over the course of six summers, this novel dives into the falling-out of two girls from different backgrounds who thought they’d be friends forever. Claire Swinarski, Edgar Award nominee of the ALA Notable What Happened to Rachel Riley?, tackles privilege, perspective, and the power of friendship in this page-turning puzzle that readers will devour.

Eowyn Becker has waited all year to attend her sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp. Here, she’s not in the shadow of her Broadway-star older brother; she’s a stellar performer in her own right. Here, the pain of her mom’s death can’t reach her, and she gets to reunite with her best friend, Jules Marrigan—the only person in the world who understands her.

But when she gets to camp, everything seems wrong. The best-friend reunion Eowyn had been dreaming of doesn’t go as planned. Jules will barely even look at Eowyn, let alone talk to her, and Eowyn has no idea why.

Well, maybe she does…

There are two sides to every story, and if you want to understand this one, you’ll need to hear both. Told in a series of alternating chapters that dip back to past summers, the girls’ story will soon reveal how Eowyn and Jules went from being best friends to fierce foils. Can they mend ways before the curtains close on what was supposed to be the best summer of their lives?

About the Author: Claire Swinarski is the author of multiple books for both kids and adults. Her writing has been featured in the Washington Post, Seventeen, Milwaukee magazine, and many other publications. She lives in small-town Wisconsin with her husband and three kids, where she writes books, wears babies, and wrangles bread dough.

Thank you, Claire, for supporting our belief that books are the key to empathy!

Author Guest Post: “Heroes: One Size Does Not Fit” by Karl Fields, Author of The Accidental Warriors

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“Heroes: One Size Does Not Fit”

All It’s been said that there are no new ideas in literature, just new takes on existing ones. Some of our most beloved stories borrow heavily from their predecessors. For example, long before Harry Potter there was “The Sword In the Stone,” which tells the story of Britain’s King Arthur from boyhood and which Rowling cites as one of her influences.

Similarly, the Hero’s Journey is one of the oldest ideas in fiction, regardless of medium. From Homer’s Odyssey to the Hunger Games, it’s a story structure that’s been around almost as long as stories themselves. Dante’s Inferno. To Kill A Mockingbird. The Hobbit. Even Miles Morales: Across the Spider-Verse. All make use of the hero’s journey.

 But what makes a hero? All too often in popular media, the hero is big, tough, infallible, and would never even entertain the thought of not meeting the moment; like most summer blockbuster action heroes, for example. But these larger-than-life types have a way of sucking all the air out of the balloon, leaving no room for growth or change.

Thankfully, that isn’t the only type of hero. Some are less tough, less sure of themselves, less obvious. Often, these characters want nothing to do with this hero stuff in the first place. That’s what makes them so much fun!

When I set out to write The Accidental Warriors, I knew heroism would be at the center of the story overall and also at the heart of the route traveled by Jalen, the main character. At the outset, he’s brash and confident to a fault. In fact, early on you could say he’s more like the first type of hero. That, however, is a front he uses to camouflage some serious insecurities.

As Jalen makes his physical journey — trying to find his way back to his familiar home from a magical, mysterious land he reaches by way of a portal — his internal journey forces him to confront his fears and doubts, of which there are many. And despite the story’s title, Jalen’s ultimate heroism results from him using his wits more so than in ways typically associated with a warrior.

Jalen isn’t the only hero in The Accidental Warriors. Heroism, in all of its forms, is on display throughout the story. Ram, Jalen’s best friend who is Autistic, shows courage in the face of danger and won’t let Jalen retreat from his destiny. The kids in village show heroism beyond their years in standing up to the local nemesis.

We love heroes because they give us someone to cheer for, but a hero without a journey can easily become a character with little dimension, and therefore easily forgettable. However, a hero on a journey speaks to the growth and self-discovery that we experience ourselves and becomes the kind of character that can live in a reader’s mind for a lifetime.

Exercise 1 The Hero’s Journey consists of twelve steps. Have students identify steps of The Hero’s Journey evident in The Accidental Warriors. (For example, Jalen’s call to adventure comes when his karate instructor’s daughter is kidnapped by a monster who escapes through a portal. It is at the insistence of his instructor that Jalen pursues, albeit reluctantly. He initially refuses the call, another of the 12 steps, choosing to focus on finding his way back home.)

Exercise 2 How many heroes are there in The Accidental Warriors? Is Jalen a hero? What about Ram? The villagers? Cyrus? The ancient magicians? If yes, explain what makes each of these characters heroic. If no, what could they do to show heroism?

Bonus Exercise While not necessarily a hero in The Accidental Warriors, what are some ways in which Jalen’s father could turn out to be a hero?

Published October 12th, 2022

About the Book: Jalen Banneker has a confidence problem … as in, too much of it. But what no one knows is that it’s all an act, hiding years of self-doubt.

But when an evil monster kidnaps his friend, Jalen must overcome his fears as he travels to a mystical world where he’ll have to defeat the monster, break an ancient curse, save his friend and find his way back home in time for dinner.

With an engaging story and vivid illustrations, this book will have readers ages 7-10 turning the pages right up until the end. The Virginia Library Association said “these fun and exciting reads that have a good mix of characters are the kinds of novels we need more of,” while BookLife Reviews says it’s filled with “lightning-paced transitions and supercharged magic!”

About the Author: Karl Fields is an army brat who spent much of his youth in places like Germany, Spain, and Okinawa. Away from American television and no such thing yet as social media, he developed a love for reading that continues to this day and that also led to his desire to be a storyteller himself. He has written several books for children and adults, including the Kate Albertson mystery series. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California. The Accidental Warriors is his first graphic novel. Find him online at www.facebook.com/karlfieldsbooks and @writerkarl on Blue Sky.

Thank you, Karl, for this insight into your transformation of the hero’s journey for The Accidental Warriors!

Author Guest Post: “All in the Family” by Sarah Everett, Author of The Shape of Lost Things

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“All in the Family”

A couple of books ago, I realized I was always writing about families. Several books into my career at that point, you’d think I’d have already figured this out, but it was news to me. There is that saying that writers are often the last to realize what their own books are about, so maybe that’s why it hadn’t occurred to me all this time. Either way, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

I grew up in a fairly “straightforward” nuclear family. A first-generation Nigerian-Canadian family with two parents, a handful of siblings, and the most mischievous Golden Retriever you’d ever meet. I was an abnormally shy kid. Like, take-her-to-a-therapist shy, but no matter how much the adults around me tried to offer help, I didn’t feel safe enough or able to communicate what was happening in my world. Coming from a different culture, in a home that wasn’t always happy or healthy, there wasn’t a ton of media that explained me – to me or to other people. And make no mistake, for better or for worse, media does explain things. (Fun fact: As a kid, I [correctly] diagnosed myself with a fairly serious illness after I heard it described on TV.) In the same way I longed to see nerdy Black girls like me reflected in books, I longed to see my family reflected in books. But sadly it has taken well into my adulthood to find stories that resonate with me, stories that truly capture what it felt like to live in that structure, with those people, in these bones.

I think this is true for a lot of people, of all races, ages and genders.

When I think of family, I think of the skeletal system, the frame that the muscles and tendons and flesh hold on to and find their way around. But just like there are no two identical individuals, there are no two identical families. Families differ in structure, in relational dynamics, in history, in size, in genetics, in strengths and weaknesses and so much more. When we talk of diversity, we must also talk about the diversity of family. We don’t all grow up the same way or face the same set of challenges, and that matters. Some kids have two mothers, single fathers, blended families, multigenerational family living situations; some kids grow up in happy homes, abusive homes, neglectful homes, sad homes, and it is all worth writing and talking about.

In my book, The Shape of Lost Things, twelve-year-old Skye is dealing with an abrupt change in her family – her older brother who has been missing for four years has returned home. It’s good news. Great news. Until she starts to suspect that the boy who came home isn’t her brother after all, but an imposter.

It is unlikely that many kid readers of Shape will relate to the main plot, but my hope is that they might relate to the uncertainty that comes with parental divorce, to the difficulty of growing up with a mentally ill parent, to the pain and mental dissonance that comes with loving someone while possibly fearing them. Then, there are other things. Like first crushes, friendship breakups, scientific facts supplied daily.

It is true, of course, that family is more than just your family of origin; it is also pets, partners, friends, extended family, people who come to matter to you over time. As a writer, I consider it part of my job to keep writing about families. Different kinds of families, different configurations of families. My hope is that, someday, even one reader might find the vocabulary to describe their home life because of my work or somebody else’s. As writers, we are never going to represent every type of family that exists; it’s physically impossible. But in your role as an educator, please never doubt the power of asking kids where they come from and what their family looks like. ‘Draw [Or Write About] Your Family’ prompts can be an opener for vital discussions about families, the safety of people’s homes, the concerns that might be making learning difficult.

Family is a beautiful, complicated thing, and like the skeletal system, it can hold you upright and make you who you are. It can also suffer from breaks and frailty and a hundred different ailments. While, ultimately, you are not your family, speaking about yours and asking about someone else’s could be life-saving.

Published October 22nd, 2024 by HarperCollins

About the Book: From the award-winning author of The Probability of Everything, which has been called “one of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever)” (Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club) and “Powerful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), comes a heartfelt exploration of family and change as twelve-year-old Skye reunites with her older brother, Finn, after he spent four years on the run with their father.

Skye Nickson’s world changed forever when her dad went on the run with her brother, Finn. It’s been four years without Finn’s jokes, four years without her father’s old soul music, and four years of Skye filling in as Rent-a-Finn on his MIA birthdays for their mom. Finn’s birthday is always difficult, but at least Skye has her best friends, Reece and Jax, to lean on, even if Reece has started acting too cool for them.

But this year is different because after Finn’s birthday, they get a call that he’s finally been found. Tall, quiet, and secretive, this Finn is nothing like the brother she grew up with. He keeps taking late-night phone calls and losing his new expensive gifts, and he doesn’t seem to remember any of their inside jokes or secrets.

As Skye tries to make sense of it all through the lens of her old Polaroid camera, she starts to wonder: Could this Finn be someone else entirely? And if everyone else has changed, does it mean that Skye has to change too?

About the Author: Sarah Everett is the author of The Probability of Everything as well as several books for teens. Charlotte’s Web was the first book that ever made her cry, and while she despises spiders, she still has an abiding love of stories that move her. When she is not reading or writing, she is dreaming about summer, gearing up for her next travel adventure, perfecting her tree pose, or yodeling with her dog. She lives in western Canada.

Thank you, Sarah, for this love letter to families!

Author Guest Post: “Using Objects as Inspiration and Ignition for Young Writers” by Brigit Young, Author of Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences

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“Using Objects as Inspiration and Ignition for Young Writers”

In my writing workshops with kids, I teach the older writers about the difference between a strong, hook-the-reader opening and an inciting incident. The inciting incident, I explain, is the event that not only changes the protagonist’s life but also makes them choose another one. They must be compelled to action that inevitably transforms their path.

In my most recent middle grade novel, Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences, a book serves as my protagonist’s catalyst for change. While the opening involves a new girl parading into school and disrupting the setting’s equilibrium, my protagonist could still choose to go on living her life as is, albeit with a new person to gossip about. But after unexpectedly seeing this new girl in synagogue on Yom Kippur, the new girl hands my protagonist a book. This book tells the story of the MS St. Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees that was turned away by North America and sent back to Europe during World War II. For my main character, this book shakes her to her core. It changes her sense of her country and the world around her. When she finds out the book is on a list of challenged books at her school, she’s incensed, and therefore her change of paths becomes inevitable. She must act, even if it takes her much of the book to figure out how or even exactly why.

As I worked on a manuscript that employs a physical book as a tool for the inciting incident, I found inspiration for a new writing exercise for students. Like a key in the door, in this exercise students use an object to open their story. Give each writer an object, either in words on slips of paper or from pictures – sometimes photos from magazines spark the imagination in a special way. Anything works! You can assign them a mirror, a lamp, the wooden plank of a raft, a cell phone, a family heirloom, a tennis ball, or even whatever they see around the room. The students must write two scenes. The first scene is the opening, and it does not involve the object. The first scene tells us who the character is, and it sets up their flaws and inner desires. This scene can be a paragraph or ten pages, depending on how long the class is and how much gusto the students feel that day.

At the very end of that first scene, students must introduce their character to their assigned object. The second scene reveals how that object instigates a new path for the character. I’ve had one student write about finding a text on a cell phone that wasn’t meant to be sent to them, and it informed them their best friend was betraying them. Their character had to leave her previous social life behind, despite being terrified of change, and from there a story began. Another was instructed to use “a piece of jewelry” as their object, and they took some inspiration from Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift! Their first scene placed the character at a Taylor Swift concert, and someone she didn’t take any note of slipped a friendship bracelet onto her wrist. Only at the end of the second scene did she realize that the bracelet held a code telling her where her lost mother might be. These kids are little geniuses!

As a modification for the younger writer, instead of asking for two scenes, give the writer an object and ask them to write a description of the object. Then tell them to end their scene with that object changing a character’s life. You’ll be surprised at what magic comes from this – often literally! Apparently, according to my youngest students, pretty much any object in our world can turn into a magical portal that takes people to alternate dimensions. Watch out the next time you’re picking up that soda can or turning on the night light…

So often the role of a writing teacher is to help young writers find an “in.” Kids just require a way to put pen to paper. They need a nudge to tap into that vast imagination already existing within them and ready to pour out. While there are hundreds of techniques to do so, I’ve been pleased to find one more. Put that book or mirror or friendship bracelet in their mind’s eye and allow the visceral muscle and sense memory of a literal object to ignite the events in their story.

Published September 17th, 2024 by Roaring Brook Press

About the Book: Perfect for fans of Star Fish and From the Desk of Zoe Washington, a nuanced middle grade from the author of The Prettiest about two girls—one “bad” and one “good”—who join forces against book banning and censorship.

Rose is a good girl. She listens to her parents and follows every rule. After all, they’re there for a reason—right? And adults always know best.

Talia, the new girl from New York City, doesn’t think so. After only a week at school, her bad reputation is already making enemies. First on the list: Charlotte, Rose’s lifelong best friend.

So why can’t Rose stop wondering what it would be like to be Talia’s friend? And why does Rose read a banned book that she recommends? Rose doesn’t know. But the forbidden book makes her ask questions she’s never thought of in her life. When Talia suggests they start a banned book club, how can Rose say no?

Pushing against her parents, her school, and even Charlotte opens a new world for Rose. But when some of Talia’s escapades become more scary than exciting, Rose must decide when it’s right to keep quiet and when it’s time to speak out.

About the Author: Brigit Young was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and now lives with her husband, daughters, gecko, and dog in New Jersey. Her debut middle grade novel, Worth a Thousand Words, was a Junior Library Guild selection as well as a Best Book of 2019 from The Bank Street College of Education. The Italian translation was the recipient of the Andersen Prize for Best Book for 12-14 year olds. Her sophomore novel, The Prettiest, received multiple starred reviews and was featured on several reading lists including Best Books of 2020 from the Chicago Public Library, Seventeen Magazine‘s 50 Books for Teens That You Won’t Be Able to Put Down, and NBC News’ 9 Books to Help Young Girls Build a Positive Image. Bank Street College of Education listed her third novel, Bright, as a Best Book for 12-14 year olds with the honor of outstanding merit. Her next middle grade novel, Banned Books, Crop Tops, & Other Bad Influences, is forthcoming in September, 2024. Additionally, Ms. Young has published short fiction and poetry in journals like The North American Review, 2 River View, Eclectica Magazine, and Burrow Press, among others. She has taught creative writing to kids of all ages in settings ranging from a library to a hospital.

Thank you, Brigit, for this awesome writing activity!

Author Guest Post: “A Deep Dive into Summer Love: Bringing Characters to Life” by Robby Webber, Author of What is This Feeling?

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“A Deep Dive into Summer Love: Bringing Characters to Life”

As an author, one of the most common questions I get is: “How did you get the idea for your book?” I think this is a pretty common question for most authors, really, and I love hearing each answer and understanding the way creative minds work. For me, it always starts with a character.

Characters come to me like friends waving from across a bridge, asking me to cross and embark on a new journey with them. It might take a few drafts to fully learn everything about them, but the basics are there from the beginning and they inform the story.

In my first book, If You Change Your Mind, I knew Harry had experienced heartbreak and found himself struggling to believe love even truly existed. Naturally, his story became all about romantic comedies. For my sophomore novel, I Like Me Better, I knew Zack was the popular soccer star with more insecurities and depth beneath the surface. Naturally, his story became about authenticity and self-worth.

My newest novel is called What Is This Feeling? and from the beginning I knew Teddy McGuire was a dramatic theater star who believed in luck and destiny and miracles. His story then became about believing in himself.

Crafting characters is the most fun part of a story for me. I love immersing myself in setting nearly as much, but character work takes the cake. It’s not always easy, and in some projects it takes a lot more time and effort than others, but it’s so enjoyable and rewarding.

It’s widely accepted that characters should have a lie and a want, which should likely be challenged and (in most cases) should change by the end of the book.

When bringing characters to life, it’s important to think about them as a fully rounded person.

That woman in line at the coffee shop has had an entire morning before she opened the door and ordered a matcha latte, and she will have an entire day after. She has motivations and preferences—she stopped at this downtown coffee shop because she is going to a job interview nearby and she’s wearing her sister’s heels even though she can’t walk in them. There’s an undercurrent of cause and effect from every choice: the heels are too big, so she trips and spills her drink all over a handsome stranger…who happens to be the manager interviewing her in half an hour.

For me, that’s how a story is born. There are so many ways this can go now, but which one is most compelling and which one is right for our heroine? Is the manager her new love interest? Her new nemesis? Both?

Especially when writing romance, the love interest(s) will in many ways act as something of a mirror for both the good and bad qualities of the protagonist. So, while Teddy loves fictional pop star Benji Keaton, Sebastian finds him too over-hyped and cringe. While Teddy believes in magic and fate, Sebastian is much more grounded and logical. While Teddy loves to be on stage and perform, Sebastian prefers to stay behind the scenes. In the genre this is known as the ‘grumpy/sunshine’ trope, but that actually formed as a result of Teddy and realizing his arc.

Without getting into spoilers, Teddy’s misbelief is that he’s not truly in control of his own destiny. He is a go-getter, but he accredits his wins and talents to a lucky friendship bracelet. He believes the universe will have the final say, not him. So, throughout the book, we see his misbelief challenged.

In If You Change Your Mind, Harry must learn to trust love and himself. In I Like Me Better, Zack must learn to like and believe in himself first and foremost.

Writing young adult books—especially for queer teens—I tend to focus a lot on self-worth and confidence. It wasn’t a very conscious choice when determining the path of my career as an author, but it happens naturally every time I write. My fourth book is a rom-com set in Paris and features some similar topics. I think expressing themes and lessons through characters is both exciting and gratifying.

And themes can (and really should) be explored outside of the main protagonist’s storyline. Sometimes I know readers resonate more with the love interest or side characters and find their arcs to be more engaging for that reason, so they shouldn’t be neglected, and should be living and breathing with lives off the page.

Connecting to characters is my favorite part of any story in any medium, and I find the human experience to be an endless well of fascinating topics. The way we relate to one another is so compelling to me as a writer and reader, and I think that’s such a key ingredient in any good story.

So, when crafting characters, I’d recommend really diving deep. Who are they? What do they believe? Why do they believe that? How does it inform how they interact with the world and people around them? And what should they learn or experience?

My favorite exercise for this is journaling. I’ll write entire journal entries as my main character. Maybe it’s about a fear or a hope or even just their day. Getting in their head (especially if you don’t write in first person normally) will be a game changer as you see the world through their eyes.

Similarly, spending some time writing random scenes is also a great way to hone in on craft and develop characters at the same time. These aren’t scenes you’ll include in your manuscript, but slice of life moments to see how your character thinks and reacts to things. Maybe they’re stuck in traffic or rushing around the grocery store before Thanksgiving or nervous for their first day of school. It could be anything, but just placing them in situations and seeing what feels natural for them can be a fun and revealing exercise.

You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your characters. There is a good chance one of their voices will wake you up in the middle of the night or pop into the back of your mind when you’re doing the dishes. I’m lucky enough to feel like my characters are my friends and I’d say if you feel that way too, it’s a positive sign. After all, if you enjoy your characters’ company and find them to be interesting, dynamic, believable people, there’s a good chance readers will too!

Published September 17th, 2024 by HarperCollins

About the Book: Theater star Teddy McGuire is ready for all his dreams to come true. He and his best friend, Annie, have been counting down the days to the end-of-the-year drama club trip to New York City. To make it even more magical, if they can win the annual scavenger hunt, they’ll get a chance to meet their popstar idol, Benji Keaton.

But the universe has other plans: when Annie can’t go on the trip, Teddy is forced to room with tech crew loner Sebastian, who has no interest in the scavenger hunt—or Teddy—and seems to have a secret agenda of his own.

On a larger-than-life adventure across the city, the boys will discover a lot more than what’s on their checklist, including masquerade mishaps, obstacles of Jurassic proportions, Hollywood starlets, and, most surprisingly of all, sparks beginning to fly between them.

In a joyful romp from author Robby Weber about chasing your destiny, Teddy and Sebastian are about to learn the secret to making their own luck.

About the Author: Robby Weber is a Florida-based writer who loves sunshine, summer and strong-willed characters. He can normally be found as close to the ocean as possible with his dog, Arthur, and a novel from Reese’s Book Club. He is the author of If You Change Your Mind, I Like Me Better, and What Is This Feeling?

Thank you, Robby, for this deep dive into making romance writing come to life!