Children's Lit

Nobody Loves Rattlesnakes

Oct 07, 2019

Essay by Wendy Townsend

The snake had pulled himself mostly under the pallet and was peeking out, flicking the air with his tongue.

Writer's Life, Nature, Children's Lit | Read More

Sex and the Young Reader

Oct 26, 2015

Theme Essay by Karen J. Ohlson

Should parents ever censor what their kids read?

Media Debate, Sex, Children's Lit | Read More

Spoilers in English Class

Oct 19, 2015

Theme Essay by Jason J. Griffith

There are no hard-and-fast rules about the ethics of spoilers, only the social consequences of being judged as uncouth.

Teaching, Children's Lit | Read More

Kate Chopin Corrupts the Young Person

Oct 12, 2015

TW Column by Emily Toth

Chopin set out to write what was then YA literature, but even her earliest stories have peculiar twists.

Authors, Nothing but the Toth, Children's Lit | Read More

Hooking Teens with the Real World

Oct 05, 2015

Theme Essay by Marina Budhos and Marc Aronson

You can’t assume that teenagers are interested in what you have to say—it’s your job to pull them in by intriguing and delighting them.

Advice, Children's Lit, Journalism | Read More

Gene Yang: “I Hated Assigned Reading”

Sep 28, 2015

TW Interview by William Gray

At the heart of all young adult literature is this equation: belonging + power = identity.

Cartoons, Featured Interview, Children's Lit | Read More

A Golden Age for Young Adult Books

Sep 21, 2015

Theme Essay by Stephen Roxburgh

It’s no surprise to me that YA readers still prefer print.

Media Debate, Children's Lit | Read More

How Hollywood Screws up YA Books

Sep 21, 2015

Theme Essay for John Michael Bell

Even Meryl Streep, as Chief Elder, has little to do but grimace.

Screen Time, Children's Lit | Read More

The Silent Voice of Your Story

Sep 21, 2015

Essay by Lynne Gessner

No wonder readers often skip description—they were with the character, and suddenly the author steps in with dry facts.

Advice, Children's Lit | Read More

The Landscape Portal

Sep 21, 2015

Essay by Kaori Fujimoto

I wanted my stories to transport readers to someplace new and strange.

Why I Write, Children's Lit | Read More

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