Introversion is not uncommon among writers. Many of us are drawn to writing, at least in part, because it is a solitary and quiet activity. Which is great! But at the end of the day, those books must be marketed to reach their audiences—dun dun DUUUUN—and introverts often find marketing daunting and exhausting. It’s not that introverts are shy (although some of us are both—a double whammy!) but for us, interacting with people drains our energy, even if we’re enjoying ourselves.

Here are five things to keep in mind that will help smooth the road and allow even the most introverted of writers to succeed at marketing their books.

1) Play to Your Strengths

Choose low-people-interaction tools to be the bulk of your marketing. Consider writing (blogging, newsletter), podcasting where you can re-record over and over until you’re happy, and social media that doesn’t require immediate responses. And, yes, social media of some kind is a must, especially if you are just starting out. Luckily, you don’t have to be on ALL platforms. Choose two or three that you can do well. Great photographer or write for young people? Make sure Instagram is one of yours. Are you writing for women? Pinterest could be your jam. Some marketing strategies work best for extroverts such as book signings and public speaking, but there are plenty of less draining options that still reach plenty of people.

2) Know Your Limitations and Work With Them

Schedule the high demand stuff carefully and be realistic about limitations. Rehearse your pitch and bio until it’s down cold, so it’s less emotionally costly to chat about them. Practice before doing a public speech so you can concentrate less on your words and more on eye contract and staying relaxed. And be willing to say no and set boundaries. For example, I have learned I can’t spend all day at a school visit, not if I want to remain coherent or have anything to offer anyone later. Each class is wonderful, but as my energy drains away with each class period, I’m left gasping for air by the fourth class I speak to—and it shows. Better to only schedule half-day visits and do them well, rather than struggle through and hate going because I’m dead on my feet afterwards.

3) Make Time To Rest and Rejuvenate Yourself

It’s imperative for introverts. Think of it like putting the oxygen mask on yourself before your child in the event of a loss of cabin pressure. Extroverts might be physically tired after a long day of presenting or after a live radio interview, but people like my husband (super extroverted man!) will be amped up emotionally. Me? My head is literally buzzing with exhaustion and I have to crawl under my covers and sleep. So I will make sure things are set up so I can do just that.

4) Take risks… Wisely

Does it feel scary? Then do it—you may find that once it’s done, you’ve actually survived. School talks? Check. Radio interview?  Check. Live Video Hangout? Check. All of these robbed me of sleep and exhausted me afterward, but ultimately, were not as bad as I feared. And next time, maybe I will be even less afraid. However, here’s the catch. Don’t schedule too many people-saturated events in a row. If you are on tour or doing something where you can’t help being constantly surrounded by people, make sure you speak up for yourself to carve out time alone in your hotel afterward or to eat dinner alone in your room.

5) Know Your Goals and Work Toward Them Steadily

Plan your goals and make them SMART: Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Then break them into smaller actions that you can work through in a single sitting, preferably. Great resources abound on creating strong goals. I find that if I have a specific, measurable goal in mind, then it makes the hard stuff easier to tolerate.

In fact, in some ways, our very perceived weaknesses can be our marketing strengths.

Remember, marketing is really all about connecting with others in an authentic manner, and sharing the love of books. We introverts can definitely do that, even if we aren’t doing it all the time! When I think about marketing in this way, it feels much less exhausting and fear-inducing. Remember your vision for your books and just DO IT…even if you do it quietly.

Any tips you’d like to offer? Answer in the comments or on social media, using the hashtag #5OnFri!

Bonus:

Enjoy some introvert humor, because the struggle is real, and sometimes we’ve just got to laugh at ourselves.

Amy writes fantasy stories for tweens and teens. She is a former reading teacher with her Masters in Library Science. As an Army kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they’re raising two daughters and are currently living in Germany, though they still call Texas home.

www.amybearce.com

About MER-CHARMER ( World of Aluvia, Book Two)

To save her beloved merfolk from an ancient sea beast, 14-year-old Phoebe dives into the ocean and discovers her own magic. But when the beast decides she is the tastiest prey in the ocean, she must learn to control her wayward sea magic, earned at a shocking cost, or lose the very people she loves the most.

The post #5OnFri: Five Marketing Tips for Introverts appeared first on DIY MFA.

So how do you manage to juggle it all?  Here are my top five tips from my own experiences this past year on completing Book Two.

1) Write, Right Now

Start writing your next book as soon as you begin querying book 1. Not even kidding a little. I know it can be hard, when so  much of your heart and soul is caught up in that first book.  But don’t fear the sophomore slump. Truly, the biggest thing that helped me balance everything is getting a lot of work done on the next story in the lull between submission and the first round of edits.  If you can get your next book on its way, then you’ll find yourself drawn to it even when you have a lot of other things on your plate.  You will make time to write when you’re excited about the story you’re telling. Knowing there will be another book in your future also helps reduce anxiety about the one about to come out, because you just don’t’ have 100% of your energy on it. You can’t. You’re too busy writing.  Right?

2) Plan Ahead if You Can

If you are writing a series, go ahead and plan out the NEXT book while you are writing the first or second book.  I didn’t know my book would turn into a series and I wrote myself into some corners that took extra time to work myself out of it. Time is not something you’ll have a ton of.  Keep in mind, if you are writing a series, you will eventually move on from Book 2 to Book 3. Then you’ll be marketing book 1, editing book 2 post-submission and marketing it, and drafting book 3. You may be doing school visits or book club visits, too. Planning ahead can save you time later. If you’re a total panster, this method may not work for you, but it might be worth a shot.

3) Time Management is Your Friend

Make a daily to-do list, a weekly list, and a set of longer term goals. Cross things off as you finish, and break big goals down into achievable, measurable steps. With Book Two, I had to figure out how to fit many more activities into the same amount of day.  You might try breaking your day into segments if you can.  Maybe you’ll do social media marketing stuff first thing in the morning and at lunch.  Don’t leave your Facebook tab open if it sings you a siren song. If you can set a chunk of time for marketing and leave it at that, the rest of the day you may find it easier to write on your next book.

4) Narrow Your Focus

Marketing will be important for you to fit in.  The goal is, of course, connecting with readers and other writers, which is lovely and fun. But marketing can take a lot of time, and not all of it will be productive for your genre or audience or personal style.  Decide on a few things you will do well, and focus on those, rather than trying to stretch yourself across a dozen social media platforms sporadically.  You’ll feel a stronger sense of accomplishment, build a better community, and once you get the hang of each particular platform, you can work faster and smoother because you know what you’re doing. (More on marketing next time!)

5) Put Your Rear in the Seat

I wish I had some really exciting tip or trick to getting everything thing done.  I don’t.  It’s mostly hard work. But the good news, once you learn to let go of obsessing about your first book (well, obsessing less) and focus on the next one, it becomes even easier to move on from book two to book three and so on.  You’ll begin to trust yourself, knowing that there will always be another story to tell, and one book is not going to make or break you.

A writing career is a marathon, not a sprint.  Treat it accordingly.

Stay on top of things.
Pace yourself.
Keep your eyes on your big goals.

The rest will come. You’ve got this.

Amy writes fantasy stories for tweens and teens. She is a former reading teacher with her Masters in Library Science. As an Army kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they’re raising two daughters and are currently living in Germany, though they still call Texas home.

Her upcoming upper-middle grade fantasy, Mer-Charmer (World of Aluvia, Book Two) releases May 9^th from Curiosity Quills Press.

www.amybearce.com

About MER-CHARMER ( World of Aluvia, Book Two)

To save her beloved merfolk from an ancient sea beast, 14-year-old Phoebe dives into the ocean and discovers her own magic. But when the beast decides she is the tastiest prey in the ocean, she must learn to control her wayward sea magic, earned at a shocking cost, or lose the very people she loves the most.

The post #5OnFri: 5 Tips for Writing Book Two appeared first on DIY MFA.

As a former comic book subscriber (X-Men 4evah, y’all), I’m glad to see this trend. Kids and teens have always loved graphic novels and their shorter, serialized cousins, comics. But now with more parents, teachers, and librarians realizing the very real benefits of reading graphic novels, it seems graphic novels have been ushered into the Big Time.

What is a Graphic Novel?

Graphic novels include both text and images in panels like comics. But graphic novels are distinct. They are longer, bound like books and not with staples like comics*, and tend to be more complex in plot and theme. They usually have one entire storyline completed in a single book, even if it’s a series…each book has its own problem and solution, just like with series novels for kids. (*Sometimes a series of comics are collected and bound into a graphic novel, just to make things confusing.)

By the way, the word manga refers to Japanese comics that are serialized like comics, but can be longer and more complex like a graphic novel. Traditionally, manga follows the pattern of Japanese writing: top to bottom and right to left. (Also, extra bonus info for you, to sound very in-the-know, pronounce it /mahn’ga/, with a soft /a/ like an old timey movie star saying daaaaahling, not the hard /a/ used in mango, the fruit).

Good for All Readers

Graphic novels (and comics and manga) are particularly wonderful for young readers and older reluctant readers. For these students, the combination of text and images allows them to read without feeling overwhelmed. The pictures help them decode and interpret meanings.  The faster speed with which readers can finish them also builds confidence.

For more advanced readers, though, there are still benefits. Graphic novels offer a different kind of reading experience, one that still requires a great deal of inference and often surprisingly sophisticated vocabulary and witty humor.  Through exposure to these kinds of books, students learn how to compact a lot of information into a concise number of words, which is much harder than it seems.

Want to Write a Graphic Novel?

It may be that you’ve toyed with the idea of writing a graphic novel. If so, this is a very good time to give it a shot.  The graphic novel Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles into Comics by James Sturn is for children, but like many how-to books written for children, I found it to be very informative and enjoyable to read. You should also listen to this wonderful interview with Neil Gaiman by NPR, during which he describes in some detail what it was like to write the The Sandman series, without being a visual artist himself. (And for encouragement about enjoying the process of creating art, read or listen to this Gaiman interview also by NPR.)

Want to see what the big to-do is about graphic novels?  Wondering if you’d enjoy writing one?  Then check out the following excellent books.

Great Graphic Novels to Study and Enjoy

For younger audiences:

Binky the Space Cat, by Ashley Spires. For young and new readers, there is limited text and the humor is outstanding.

Fashion Kitty series, by Charise Mericle Harper. Cute and fun about a kitty who becomes a superhero after being hit in the head with a stack of fashion magazines. Naturally, she saves other kittens from terrible fashion.

The Lunch Lady series, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka—Lots of gross and silly humor, this super hero is also the school’s lunch lady. Her weapons of choice are kitchen utensils and cooking equipment.  Fast and zany.

Zita the Spacegirl, by Ben Hatke.  An excellent book and series with Girl Power!  It’s also touching.

The Amulet series, by Kazu Kabuishi  The kids at the local 3^rd-5^th grade school have these books checked out all the time. The creepy cover brings to mind Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, which has a graphic novel adaptation.

For older audiences (tweens/teens):

El Deafo, by Cece Bell. In this award-winning biography in graphic novel form, we follow along with Bell as she experiences hearing loss as a young child and then goes on to attend traditional school with the help of a special hearing aid that allows her to hear but sets her apart from others.

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier.   Smile is a memoir about when the author loses her two front teeth as a sixth grader and had to deal with a lot of trauma, both physical and emotional.

Sisters, also by Raina Telgemeier.  Sisters is a bittersweet memoir about her relationship with her little sister, set during a long car trip. Flashback is used to weave past memories with the current tale..

Ms. Marvel, by G. Wilson (author) and Adrian Alphona and Sarah Pichelli (illustrators). When 16 year old Kamala finds herself transformed into Ms. Marvel, she’s got the usual transformation issues to contend with, but Kamala is also a Muslim daughter of Pakistani immigrants, which brings its own cultural differences to work through as well.

The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller. Technically this is one of those sets of Batman comic books that were grouped together, but it ushered in the dark, gritty kind of superhero story that’s so popular today. This one is aimed at older teens and adults. *Note, graphic novels abound for adults, to include the popular Walking Dead series.

What about you?  Do you read graphic novels?  Share your favorite in the comments!

Amy holds a Masters of Library Science along with a certification in school librarianship.  She is a former reading and English teacher, mostly for 6^th-8^th graders.  Her debut book, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle-grade fantasy, now available from Curiosity Quills Press.  She currently lives in Germany with her family, though they still call Texas home. Her daughters are 9 and 11 years old. As you might imagine, middle grade books are a hot commodity around their house.

Amy‘s next book, MER-CHARMER, will be released May 9, 2016.

The post Getting Graphic: A Closer Look at Graphic Novels appeared first on DIY MFA.

It’s true that when we write for children or young teens, in particular, we have an obligation to be age-appropriate. A nine year old does not need to read a rape scene, I think most of us would agree. But there is a difference between being considerate of your audience’s maturity levels versus cutting things from your story based on fear of how it will be received by some adults. If you cleanse your middle grade novels of all the wonderful diversity and various points of view that our world is full of…what are they learning from their reading? That life should always match one prescribed perspective? That people different than you don’t really exist in any real, important way? Instead, young people can follow along with characters of all backgrounds, behaviors, and beliefs, and learn from them even if they themselves may never believe or behave as those characters do. It’s one of the beautiful things about reading. It builds empathy with others who are different than us.

So, if you are worried about including something controversial or “edgy” in your book for a child, tween, or teen—be it a LGBTQ teen, or a homeless child, or an alcoholic father—here’s my message for you.

Trust our kids. Trust our youth. If they find your book too hard for them, they will put it down. If they find the content to be objectionable or confusing, they will put it down. But there may be a kid who needs to hear exactly what you want to say. I say PRESS FORWARD. Yes, your book might be challenged. It might even be banned. And yes, please be sensitive to their ages. But don’t assume that children can’t handle challenging topics or painful themes. There are some who most assuredly could teach me a thing or two about how hard life can be. All children need to have heroes. Your character might become one of them one day.

Check out these five honest and bold books for tweens and kids, with topics considered controversial by some.

Gracefully Grayson

By: Ami Polonsky

A sensitive and sweet portrayal of a 12 year old boy who has a secret: “he” is a girl on the inside. There are so few books about being transgender, and I was delighted to find this one for upper-middle grade that was positive and yet honest—really, it would even be suitable for middle grade. There is no sexuality, no language, no romance…just the yearning this young person feels to be a different gender.

The Higher Power of Lucky

By: Susan Patron

Banned and censored for the use of the word “scrotum” in reference to a dog being bit there by a snake, this Newbery Award winner includes a girl listening in on AA meetings in which higher powers are discussed and living with a French foster mother who may or may not be abandoning her. Those are big topics.

The Giver

By: Lois Lowry

Not to give any spoilers, but euthanasia will come up in discussion from reading this book. Pretty heavy topic, but tweens love this book. It is not uncommon to see sixth or seventh graders reading this book for school, and there are some horrible things in here…things that our hero fights back against the only way he knows how. A powerful story.

The Golden Compass (And its sequels)

By: Phillip Pullman

Phillip Pullman’s trilogy is about some kids on a mission to kill God. I bet that Mr. Pullman sometimes thought as he was writing this, “Wow, parents are going to hate me.” Or maybe he is too confident to care—I don’t know. But his point is that the concept of God is often a very good excuse for doing many bad things. The book brings up issues of faith that young people deserve to be able to discuss with others in a respectful manner. (And on the flip side, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis has been challenged for being so obviously a Christian allegory being used in a public school setting. You will always offend someone with a religious-focused book, so just tell your story.)

And Tango Makes Three

By: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

I always wonder if the author knew that so many people would pitch a fit about this delightful little picture book that is based on a REAL event of two male penguins raising a baby together at the NY Central Park Zoo. It has the dubious distinction of being the most challenged book from 2006 to 2010, except for 2009, when it came in second. It was back in the list in 2012 (# 5 most frequently challenged). I’ll be curious to see if the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage will make some people even more huffy about the book, or if maybe people will stop trying to pull this book from libraries. I hope that even if the author and publisher knew it would cause a ruckus, that they would have gone forward with printing it anyway. It’s a beautiful story, and brings up the topic of same-sex parents in a sensitive and positive way.

So there you have it! Go forth and tell your story as honestly and fearlessly as you can! We all benefit from books that raise tough topics and deal with them in authentic ways. If it speaks to your heart, it will show in your writing.

What are some of your favorite controversial or challenged books?

Amy holds a Masters of Library Science along with a certification in school librarianship.  She is a former reading and English teacher, mostly for 6^th-8^th graders.  Her debut book, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle-grade fantasy, now available from Curiosity Quills Press.  She currently lives in Germany with her family, though they still call Texas home. Her daughters are 9 and 11 years old. As you might imagine, middle grade books are a hot commodity around their house.

Amy‘s next book, MER-CHARMER, will be released May 9, 2016.

The post Back Away From the Delete Key: Censorship in Kidlit appeared first on DIY MFA.

But writing one? That’s a different story. It’s definitely not easy.

Five Points to Consider if You’re New to the Picture Book Scene 

1. It’s an extremely tough market to break into. Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for it—just be aware.
2. If you are unpublished, it’s best to have at least 3-5 picture book (PB) manuscripts ready before you query an agent. If they like your manuscript, they will likely ask to see at least two or three others before signing you as a picture book author.
3. The art is truly half the story. Pictures are on every page and are critical, not extra bonus material. In fact, sometimes including images that outright contradict the text are the crux of the humor (See This is Not My Hat, by Jon Klassen for a clever example.)
4. As the author, you will likely never meet or talk to the illustrator. The publisher matches you up, and it’s hard to begin as a writer-illustrator unless you are very good at both.
5. Go easy on visual descriptions, because the illustrator will take care of that. Don’t waste your precious word count. In 32 pages, you’ve got 500 words or less to tell a compelling story that holds up to repeated readings. You could stretch it to 800 or maybe 1000 tops, but those don’t sell as well.

Consider Nonfiction

Good news! Nonfiction picture books are a great way to break into the PB market. The Day-Glo Brothers (non-fiction) was Chris Barton’s first published book, but he followed it up with the successful and silly Shark vs. Train. He’s since published several more nonfiction picture books.

Teachers and librarians love well-researched and entertaining nonfiction picture books that give an overview of a topic in a concise way. Teachers often use books in the E section for science or history lessons. Need to study black holes? Boom—check out A Black Hole is Not a Hole, by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano. Studying Fibonacci Numbers in math? Bam—The Rabbit Problem, by Emily Gravett, is right there center stage, playing best supporting actor in your nonfiction picture book line-up.

Understand the Market for Your Fiction

The education market isn’t cornered by nonfiction, either. Teachers also use fiction picture books to instruct about plot, character, mood, tone, theme, setting and more. This holds true even for older grades. As a 7^th grade reading teacher, I used The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka to teach point of view and bias. The kids loved it. In fact, I used picture books all the time in my middle school reading and English classes, because they offered a compact but complete story to study in a 45 minute class.

Unlike books for adults, picture books must first appeal to a group of people beyond their primary audience: the parents, teachers, and librarians who buy books for children. But remember that while some adults like preachy books, kids don’t like them. Don’t talk down to your audience.

Avoid Rhyme

Unless you have a special gift

Rhyming words cause rejection: swift!

There are many reasons not to rhyme. Consider them carefully.

Show Me the Money? Maybe Not

New writers may not realize that picture book authors split their royalties with the illustrator, usually 50/50. And the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) states that the illustrator usually gets a bigger percentage of the advance. If you are cool with that, awesome. If that bothers you, don’t write picture books unless you’re an amazing artist as well. If you write chapter books, middle grade, or YA, you won’t have that concern. Cover artists for novels are paid during development, not from royalties.

But regardless of payment, if you write for children in any form―picture books through YA―don’t expect tons of respect from adults. Many assume we write for children because it’s easier than writing for grown-ups. Some even think that anyone can write kidlit… until they try it for themselves! The truth is that all writing is challenging if you’re doing it right. But we do it because we love it.

Learn from the Best

Read a lot of picture books, and study the great ones. Last Friday, I wrote a Five on Friday post about five fantastic picture books to check out, as well as a number of author/illustrators. You can check out that post here. One thing I found really enlightening was to take the text of my favorite picture book and type it out in prose form. Look at how just the text works, without the images, and how it differs as a reading experience. See for yourself how sparse and lean a picture book manuscript can be while still conveying a story. You can do this exercise with any picture book you love—the more the merrier.

Join Other Picture Book Writers

Finally, whenever someone tells me they want to write for children, I suggest they join SCBWI and/or get plugged into their local chapter. I have learned so much from SCBWI conferences, critiques, and fellow writers. Plus, it’s fun to be around others who share the same passion as you do!

Now start writing! Bonus: Remember that November is PiBoIdMo—Picture Book Idea Month! Picture book writers can join in the fun of NaNoWriMo insanity! The registration closed Nov. 5, but you can still play along!

Do you have any favorite picture books you still remember from your childhood or from your children’s childhood? I’d love to hear about them!

**Full disclosure: Though not a picture book author myself–which should be clear from the length of this post–I have studied writing for children via conferences, books, classes, and seminars. Picture book writing is a hot topic in all of those forums. But as it turns out, everything I write comes out best suited for tweens and teens. So that’s what I do—and I love it!

Amy holds a Masters of Library Science along with a certification in school librarianship.  She is a former reading and English teacher, mostly for 6^th-8^th graders.  Her debut book, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle-grade fantasy, now available from Curiosity Quills Press.  She currently lives in Germany with her family, though they still call Texas home. Her daughters are 9 and 11 years old. As you might imagine, middle grade books are a hot commodity around their house.

Amy‘s next book, MER-CHARMER, will be released May 9, 2016.

The post Picture Books: Not So Easy appeared first on DIY MFA.

If you want to write picture books, one of the best things to do is study the great picture book writers and their works. There are two main types of picture book authors: the author/illustrators and authors whose manuscripts are paired with illustrators.

For those of you lucky enough to be gifted with both art and writing, you should definitely check out the works of the following author/illustrators: Maurice Sendack, Mo Williams, Mark Teague, Pat Mora, Steve Jenkins, Patricia Polacco, Jack Ezra Keats, Eric Carle, David Wiesner, and Janel Cannon. They are beloved for a reason.

But for those who can’t draw a stick figure, take heart!

Here are five delightful picture books to enjoy and study, all of which have separate authors and illustrators.  As the author, you only need to come up with a manuscript—not even the ideas for the illustrations! (If that sounds strange to you, next week, DIY MFA will be posting an article about writing picture books…check back on Monday the 23^rd if you’re interested!)

And even if you don’t want to write picture books, they are an enjoyable reading experience for everyone, so make sure to check these out!

Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type

Written by: Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by: Betsy Lewin

If you want to write humorous books—always a popular choice with children—this is a great author to study.  Doreen Cronin’s dead-pan, clever text matches perfectly with Betsy Lewin’s illustrations to create a series of books that make kids (and adults) crack up. She uses a single strong setting that grounds her story well, and her use of repetition allows pre-readers to join in during those sections. You may also be familiar with Doreen Cronin’s popular Diary of a Worm series, which are illustrated by Harry Bliss.  As an author, your work may be paired with different artists.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Written by: Laura Numeroff

Illustrated by Felicia Bond. This is a fun example of a “series of events” story that kids delight in.  She’s extended this concept to many other books, such as If You Give a Pig a Pancake and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Felicia Bond’s illustrations clearly link all the books at a quick glance. Numeroff is a prolific author, and any of her books are informative to study.

On a Beam of Light

Written by: Jennifer Berne

Illustrated by: Vladimir Radunsky

This book is a celebration and overview of Albert Einstein’s life and discoveries. Children enjoy seeing that such a famous genius was also once a child, just like them, with his own quirks and differences. Perfect for use in history class as an introductory biography or in science as an introduction to Einstein’s work.  Also emphasizes the importance of imagination and question-asking in science.  Inspiring in so many ways.

Jingle Dancer

Written by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Illustrated by: Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu

Diversity matters. Readers of all kinds of backgrounds need to see themselves reflected in books.  Multicultural stories with modern, realistic protagonists from cultures less frequently represented in literature are very much desired and important. Jingle Dancer was Cynthia L. Smith’s first published work, and she has since gone on to become a New York Times best-selling YA author of gothic fantasy.

Goodnight Moon

Written by: Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by: Clement Hurd Interestingly, the author did not envision the bunnies in those illustrations or the bright colors. Hurd made that call, and his distinctive illustrations helped make the book a hallmark of goodnight stories. If you want to write for very young children, studying Margaret Wise Brown is a smart move.

Bonus Book:  Just because you are that awesome.

Sit-In:  How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

Written by: Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney

Created by a wife/husband team, it didn’t quite fit in the above list, where the author was totally separate from the illustrator, but it’s too good to not mention.  This non-fiction picture book is a celebration and explanation of the 1960 Woolworth’s lunch counter peaceful sit-in by four students.  Teachers will find this an attention-grabbing way to introduce students to the civil rights movement.  Also raises great discussion for parents and their children about why this event happened, and issues with equality today.

As a huge fan of picture books, I could list fifty books here, but that would be “Fifty on Friday,” and while that sounds pretty catchy, I think that might be a bit much.  But I’d love to hear what your favorite picture books are, either from when you were a child, from raising your own children, or books you admire as a writer.

Share in the comments below so we can all add those books to our TBR list!  Thanks!

…………………………

Amy holds a Masters of Library Science along with a certification in school librarianship.  She is a former reading and English teacher, mostly for 6^th-8^th graders.  Her debut book, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle-grade fantasy, now available from Curiosity Quills Press.  She currently lives in Germany with her family, though they still call Texas home. Her daughters are 9 and 11 years old. As you might imagine, middle grade books are a hot commodity around their house.

The post #5OnFri: Five Fabulous Picture Books in honor of #PiBoIdMo! appeared first on DIY MFA.

Familiarity

When an author creates book after book with the same characters, young readers gain familiarity with that author’s characters.  The people in the book are like friends, and kids look forward to hanging out with their book friends over and over again. More than that, readers begin to recognize an author’s style (even when multiple authors write a series, they usually strive for a similar tone and style.)  Dark or silly, ominous or sweet: kids begin choosing which books suit their mood, knowing what to expect from which author. Just as an adult buying yet another Stephen King book knows not to expect a light romance, so do kids learn through repeated experience.

Choice

For many children, just choosing a new book is a dreaded chore.  But when they love a series, there’s an easy answer to the question of what to read next.  Sometimes, each book ends with a satisfying conclusion.  In others, we are left wondering: what happens next?  Either can work for kids. The ability to “collect them all” is just frosting on the series cake.

Don’t Worry

Some parents and teachers fear their child will never read anything else or feel these books are the literary equivalent of junk food. While reading a variety of books is important, experience with a long series can help build fluency and reading confidence.  When kids are ready for something meatier, they naturally move on, especially if regularly exposed to interesting-sounding books with more complexity.  In short, lengthy series are a great option, especially for readers who may not yet be hooked on reading.

Good Series for Young Readers

Series have long been popular, as fans of American Girl and Boxcar Children can attest.  I myself grew up with Sweet Valley High (Anyone? Anyone?)  And of course, Goosebumps is ever-popular, still on the bookshelves at our school library. But don’t only grab long-established series. There are tons of options!

Here are five crowd-pleasing series your 7-10 year old readers might love!

1. Magic Tree House, by Mary Pope Osborne—There are currently 53 books in this historical fiction series that involves magically traveling through time to various places throughout history. Jack and Annie are in every book.  Thin and fast-paced, these are great for newly independent readers, and teach history while they’re at it.
2. Geronimo Stilton—This series is about a quiet mouse journalist in New Mouse City who keeps getting caught up in world-spanning adventures.  Geronimo Stilton is listed as the actual author (like Lemony Snicket.) There are at least 62 books about Geronimo, plus special editions and spin-offs about his sister Thea, not to mention graphic novels.
3. Dear Dumb Diary, by Jim Benton—This 18 book series is written from the perspective of a middle school girl named Jamie Kelly. With its first person point of view and older character, these are wonderful for slightly older elementary age kids who still prefer thinner books. They are also a good fit for those who like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
4. BeastQuest, by Adam Blade—Weighing in with a whopping 86 books, plus more in special editions, BeastQuest books will keep your reader busy a long time even though each book is pretty short.  These are written under the name of Adam Blade, but a variety of authors have penned these books. If your child likes excitement, adventure, and mythical beasts, this is a good choice. Book 1 features Ferno the Fire Dragon!
5. Warriors by Erin Hunter—Warrior Cats is a hugely popular series about cat clans in the wild. Hunter has also written other series about dogs (Survivors) and bears (Seekers).  There are 29 books in Warriors, with 6 super editions and guide books, in addition to manga versions.  These are thicker than the other books in this list. The nice thing about the Warrior Cats books is that they are actually a set of series. There are six books in each series, in which a major problem is solved.  These books offer a reasonable stopping place for those who don’t want to collect huge number of books.

Other series to check out include 39 Clues, My Sister the Vampire, Dragon Breath, I Survived, Judy Moody, The Puppy Place, Junie B Jones, and the Time Warp Trio.

What are your favorite long-running series for kids? Did you read any series as a child or teen?

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Amy holds a Masters of Library Science along with a certification in school librarianship.  She is a former reading and English teacher, mostly for 6th-8th graders.  Her debut book, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle-grade fantasy from Curiosity Quills Press, and its sequel, MER-CHARMER, will be released next year. She currently lives in Germany with her family, though they still call Texas home. Her daughters are 9 and 11 years old. As you might imagine, middle grade books are a hot commodity around their house.

A perfect day for Amy is rain pattering against the windows, popcorn at her fingertips, and every member of her family curled up in one cozy room reading a good book.  Tweet with her at @AmyBearce or find her on Instagram at @amybtravels.

The post The Short Answer to Long Series for Kids appeared first on DIY MFA.

There are plenty of kids who are strong readers in need of books that challenge them. Many librarians and teachers are seeking good fiction that is age-appropriate yet challenging for advanced readers, thanks to the big focus on Lexile scores in schools.

What is a Lexile Level?

Lexile levels rank books by difficulty, based on an analysis of word frequency and sentence length. Despite the many frustrations over its implementation, plenty of schools love using Lexile scores. Writers for children need to understand them.

Publishers have certainly taken note—more than 200 of them now submit their books to be measured by Lexile, and apps and websites abound that will match books to student reading level. Students can take a test to identify the Lexile range within which they should be able to read comfortably. The Lexile website says that over 35 million students have received Lexile reading scores, covering all 50 states. Many school libraries even color-code books by Lexile (despite the American Association of School Library’s firm stance against labeling books by reading level.) And―this is the kicker―in a number of schools, students are required to read within their score for class, usually with a 100 point range. This occurs despite the fact that Lexile states on its own website, “Never take a book out of a child’s hand because of its Lexile measure.” (I loathe this practice, but that’s an article for another time.)

Young Readers Need Challenging Fiction

There simply aren’t enough age-appropriate books for advanced readers, especially fiction. For an elementary student with a Lexile score over 1000, most of their best options will be considered “too easy” if teachers require them to choose within their Lexile range. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, for example, is 880L, and the ever-popular Warriors series by Erin Hunter ranges between the 700’s to 900.

There are some books available with a higher Lexile for elementary age kids, but they are rare. Some teachers even post lists of them on websites like discovered treasures, because educators are struggling to find books their strong readers can read “on their level.”

However, it’s not just advanced readers who can enjoy a higher Lexile scored book. The popularity of some of these “hard” books among even struggling readers shows that having complex sentences and high vocabulary does not automatically put a book out of reach of the average elementary kid. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever scored a 1060L, and libraries can’t keep those books on the shelf.

Hey Writers, We Need You!

Be yourself, even if you’re different. Photo Credit, https://gratisography.com/, Ryan McQuire

This is where you writers can come in. If you find yourself writing naturally more challenging books for kids, keep at it, and don’t be discouraged.

Remember, librarians and teachers in elementary schools are buying books with higher Lexile scores, too—if the content is appropriate. Our local school librarian just ordered every novel she could find for 3^rd-5^th graders that had a Lexile higher than 1000. And the library had money left over from that allocated sum, because there weren’t enough books to buy that fit the bill.

So, if you write for kids but use advanced, rich words, take heart. Know that there are kids who need books written higher, just as there are kids who need books written lower. If you have someone trying to simplify your middle grade book just to “make it easier for kids to read,” tell them kindly to leave you alone.

A Book is More Than Its Lexile—Don’t Worry TOO Much

Catcher in the Rye has a Lexile of 790L. My third grader would have been told it was too low of a Lexile level. (insert maniacal laughter.)   credit: www.gratisography.com, Ryan McQuire.]

Clearly, a book needs more than a certain Lexile to be good for students, even advanced readers. No Lexile score captures the true difficulty of a book. For example, a book like Hunger Games, clearly written for a teen audience or above, scored 810L, because content is not taken into consideration in these scores. That score doesn’t mean it was intended for fourth graders. As another example of the importance of content, consider that both The Grapes of Wrath and Charlotte’s Web weigh in with the same 3^rd-5^th grade score of 680L. Clearly, a book needs more than a “right” Lexile to be good for kids. But if your book is intended for a child or teen audience, a hard Lexile can still work.

I’m not suggesting you purposefully manipulate your book’s Lexile to make it more challenging. But knowing your book’s score and how it fits into the school market is wise.

Children (all children) deserve a range of reading material—and they are ready for it. You might be just the person to help give all young readers in school something challenging to read that’s written with them in mind.

Note: All Lexile scores were taken from Lexile’s Find-a-Book tool on their webpage.

Here are five book choices for 3^rd-5^th grade strong readers. Might your work be a good fit for this category?

Series of Unfortunate Events, range from 1010L to 1370L.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, series, several are over 1000L
The Higher Power of Lucky, Susan Patron 1010L
Dear Dumb Diary series, by Jamie Kelly, ranges of 840L-1120L
Wind in the Willows, 1140L

Additional Reading about Lexile for the curious

(These journals can be accessed through your local public library in most cases.)

FORCHT, DIXIE. “Libraries And Lexile Levels.” School Library Monthly 28.7 (2012): 21-23. Professional Development Collection. Web. 18 July 2015.

Harvey II, Carl A. “An Inside View Of Lexile Measures: An Interview With Malbert Smith Iii.” Knowledge Quest 39.4 (2011): 56-59. Professional Development Collection. Web. 18 July 2015

Reid, Calvin. “Lexile: Will All Books Need This Reading-Level Rating?.” Publishers Weekly 245.32 (1998): 240. Literary Reference Center. Web. 18 July 2015.

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Amy holds a Masters of Library Science along with a certification in school librarianship.  She is a former reading and English teacher, mostly for 6^th-8^th graders.  Her debut book, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle-grade fantasy, now available from Curiosity Quills Press.  She currently lives in Germany with her family, though they still call Texas home. Her daughters are 9 and 11 years old. As you might imagine, middle grade books are a hot commodity around their house.

The post Writing for Kids: The Low-Down on Lexile Levels appeared first on DIY MFA.

Plenty of kidlit books show kids disobeying, or even being straight-up subversive. In general, kids eat these books up and ask for more.

This desire can make the adults in their lives very, very nervous.  “We shouldn’t be teaching our kids that it’s okay to misbehave,” they say.  Some parents prefer to keep those books out of the hands of children at all.  Even writers might avoid creating child characters who are wildly and unapologetically disobedient because they are afraid of giving kids “bad role models.”  Numerous books have caught a lot of flak for that very thing.

But if all our bad characters suddenly became accommodating and sweet, that would be a loss for our children. There is a reason these books are so appealing.

Why Kids Love Bad Kid Characters

Have you ever stopped and really listened to what children hear so much of their day?

No, don’t eat your peas with your fingers.
Put that bug down and wash your hands.
Stop poking your sister’s arm. For the hundredth time.

Life is a veritable flood of no’s.  And yes, it’s often for their safety (and our sanity), but through literature, children get to experience the thrill of defiance–and thus independence– safely, without paying the price of it.  The very kids who love these books so much, in fact, are often the ones who would never actually do any of the things in the story.  And that’s the point.

Bad Characters Serve Many Purposes

In Horn Book Magazine, the article, “Doing the Crime without Doing the Time” emphasizes that this desire to explore disobedience is developmentally normal and states, “So rather than try out naughtiness, children turn to book characters who actually do what they themselves have only dreamt about. Living vicariously is the perfect alternative” (Angotti  96).

Furthermore, adults who read about these “bad” characters with their children or students have a great jumping off place for discussions (not lectures!) about why the characters made the choices they did and what the child readers thought about it. The conversation can include what kind of consequences occurred and sometimes, if the book is realistic, the answer might be: none.

Bad Characters Have Wide Appeal

Besides, bad characters don’t just appeal to children. Think about your favorite characters.  How many of them are villains?  My friend named her dog after Dexter. Another friend had a life-sized Darth Vader poster on her door for years. Dracula has spawned how many books about vampires, sparkly and otherwise?  And millions have loved Scarlet O’Hara with her unflinching and unapologetic hatred of the kind and gentle Melanie.  I sure did.  Scarlet was fascinating.

So why should children’s books be devoid of interesting characters?  Frankly, characters who always do what they are told are boring, no matter how old they are. There’s no conflict, and thus, no story.  If all our children’s books had titles like Everyone Shares so Nicely! would kids love bedtime stories so much?

Want to Write a Bad Kid Character?

This is tricky to do well, so it might take several tries to hit the right balance. Let me state up front, if  characters like these really get on your nerves, don’t write about them.  The reader will pick up on your distaste and it will reflect on their impressions of your character.  But if you want to give it a shot, first of all, observe some children. This sounds obvious, but it’s painfully clear that not all writers do this.  Kids are smart.  There is usually some kind of logic behind their “bad behavior.”  It might be that someone took something of theirs.  It might be that they know if they don’t hide the evidence of their candy gorging, they will lose TV for a week.  Or maybe they woke up early and missed nap—adults get cranky when they are hungry and tired, too.  So there are actual reasons why kids misbehave and you need to help your readers understand why this child is acting this way.

In a similar vein, keep the character sympathetic in some way, even if it is just the kid needing a hug at the end of the story. The children in Captain Underpants have to deal with a truly obnoxious principal. If the principal had been a super cool guy who loved kids, we would not be cheering for the boys who trick him. So we’ve got to have some reason to root for the character or like them or understand them, at the very least.

Finally, it’s critical to read a lot of the books with these kinds of characters. Just like with any writing venture, you need to know what’s been done, so you can do something fresh and unique that only you could write.

Take a Risk and Try Some Good Bad Kid Stories

So take a deep breath and try one of these books for kids with protagonists who aren’t afraid to get in trouble:

Picture books:

• No, David! by David Shannon. This modern series of picture books are adored by young children everywhere. (Speaking of Dracula, David’s teeth look absolutely vampiric, I think.)
• Where the Wild Things Are by the brilliant Maurice Sendak. For his bad behavior, Max gets sent to bed without his supper. Does he sit in his room and cry? Not our Max.  Instead, he goes on an amazing adventure and becomes King of the Wild Things (and still gets his supper, in the end.)  A classic that upset many people at the time of its publication and helped change the face of children’s literature.
• 11 Experiments That Failed, by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter. Food dissolving into shoes; bottles flooding the toilet: Curious George meets Ramona Quimby in this fun science sleuthing story.

Middle Grade, listed from younger to older audiences:

• Bad Kitty–As advertised, this cat created by Nick Bruel disobeys repeatedly (and hilariously), but the stories end on a sweet note. If you aren’t sure about this whole let-them-read-bad-characters-idea, this is a good book series to start with.
• Captain Underpants—This graphic novel series was the top challenged book in 2013 and 2012. (Read about all the hubbub here). I admit I don’t love the potty humor or the boys’ attitudes as they manipulate their caveman of a principal, but children do—and they read and reread this series.
• Calvin and Hobbes—Yes, the comic strip. The precocious-but-perpetually-in-trouble little boy with his wise tiger has caught the hearts of every generation since he was first created.
• Harry Potter—Before you accuse me of blasphemy, consider that Harry breaks rules all the time and rarely suffers negative consequences for it. He may not be the traditional “bad character” but if you want to throw stones at characters for lying, cheating or defiance, you have to consider Harry does it all. In fact, just try to count how many times you see the phrase “Harry lied.”  And then keep reading.

Bad characters help kids explore their world. But aside from all the psychology, they are also just fun, entertaining stories.  They get kids excited to read.  That’s good enough for me.  Feel free to enjoy these books with your kids or students!

Mischief managed.

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Work Cited:

Angotti, Jessica. “Committing the Crime With Out Doing the Time.”  Horn Book Magazine, Mar/Apr2010, Vol. 86 Issue 2, p92-96, 5p. (Article), Database: Literary Reference Center

All other books and articles referenced are hyperlinked within article.

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Amy holds a Masters of Library Science along with a certification in school librarianship.  She is a former reading and English teacher, mostly for 6^th-8^th graders.  Her debut book, FAIRY KEEPER, is an upper-middle-grade fantasy, now available from Curiosity Quills Press.  She currently lives in Germany with her family, though they still call Texas home. Her daughters are 9 and 11 years old. As you might imagine, middle grade books are a hot commodity around their house.

The post The Good News about “Bad Characters” appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today’s Five on Friday will give you five fabulous historical fiction options for upper middle grade readers.  5^th graders and up should grab one of these and set the flux capacitor for GO!

Five Books for 11-14 year olds who are ready for a blast from the past.

1) Esperanza Rising

By: Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising is about a girl from a wealthy Mexican ranching family who is forced to immigrate to the United States during the Great Depression and begin life as a farm worker. In California, she and her mother face discrimination, harsh working conditions and poverty. It’s a shock to Esperanza’s senses, who is already reeling from the loss of her beloved Papa.  Readers get an inside look at life in these camps and the kind of hard labor expected.  Esperanza isn’t the most sympathetic of characters in the beginning, despite the tragedies she experiences.  She is spoiled and unprepared for realities outside of her life of privilege, but readers get to cheer with her as she grows up, humbles up, and accepts the responsibility of caring for her ill mother and the other migrants around her. Beautifully written and compelling.

2) One Came Home

By: Amy Timberlake

The book captivated me from its first brilliant paragraph: “So it comes to this, I remember thinking on Wednesday, June 7, 1871. The date sticks in my mind because it was the day of my sister’s first funeral and I knew it wasn’t her last—which is why I left.  That’s the long and short of it” (1).   Thirteen-year-old Georgie lives in a Wisconsin frontier town.  Everyone believes her big sister Agatha has died, but Georgie doesn’t believe that the unrecognizable body wearing Agatha’s dress is really her sister.  So she sets out to discover what really happened and experiences many adventures and near-disasters along the way.

Georgie’s narration is as sharp as her shooting and honestly reflects that cusp of young adulthood when people are figuring out who they want to be.  Mystery and history wrapped together with wit and grit.

3) Code Talker

By: Joseph Bruchac

Ned, a boy from a Navajo reservation, goes to school to learn English and eventually is recruited into the Marines.  He becomes a member of a special team of Navajo soldiers whose secret mission is to send messages during World War II using a code based on their own sacred language that the enemies cannot crack.  The protagonist is fictional, a grandfather telling the story of his war medal, but the events and battles in the story are real.

The language of the story is direct and the story moves quickly.  Because this is a grandfather looking back, we know Ned survives the war, which helps reduce possible uncomfortable tension.  The grim reality of prejudice against the Navajos is painted clearly, but not in a sensationalized manner.  The focus remains on the amazing accomplishment of the Navajo soldiers as a group.  It’s an inspiring tale about overcoming oppression and staying true to yourself– and being able to help others because of it.

4) Chains

By: Laurie Halse Anderson

Set during the American Revolution, we see the events of that fateful time unfolding through the eyes of a 13 year old slave, Isabel, who is taking care of her little sister. Freed upon her master’s death, they nevertheless end up as property of a couple in New York who are loyal to England. We witness Isabel’s own revolution as she decides to smuggle information to the rebels, in hopes of gaining her and her sister’s freedom.

Chains is the first in a trilogy. Poignant without being overly sentimental, it is a well-researched look into a commonly studied period of history in America, from a point of view often left out of the discussion.

5) The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

By: Jacqueline Kelly

Set in 1899, in south central Texas, Calpurnia Tate is nearly 12 years old.  She is the only girl in a family with 7 children.  Throughout the story, she learns about science from her grandfather, an amateur naturalist, but her mother becomes concerned with her gallivanting around the country and fiddling with insects and sets out to teach her only daughter how to be a lady.  Ladies weren’t scientists—not then, not there.   The title is a clever reference to all the changes Calpurnia experiences as she studies science with her grandfather based on Darwin’s methodology and must somehow adapt to her own restrictive environment as a young female in 1899.

The style reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird.  It is simply gorgeous.  It’s a bit slower-paced and more contemplative than others on this list, but if you can deal with that, you’ll be well-rewarded. Its sequel, The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate, is on my to-read list.

If you are seeking more upper MG historical fiction after these, check out Firefly Letters, by Margarita Engle, Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, Al Capone Does my Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko and Revolution by Deborah Wiles. There are some beloved classics of historical fiction that I adore, too, such as Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton.

Whether you choose a recent release or a popular classic, historical fiction is a treasure trove just waiting for discovery.

What tween-friendly historical fiction do you love, and why?
Let us know in the comments, or using the hashtag #5OnFri!

Amy writes stories for tweens and teens, including The Fairy Keeper. She is a former reading teacher who now has her Masters in Library Science. As an Army kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they’re raising two daughters and are currently living in Germany, though Texas is still where they call home. A perfect day for Amy involves rain pattering on the windows, popcorn, and every member of her family curled up in one cozy room reading a good book. Tweet with her @AmyBearce.

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