I stand in constant amazement of the creativity of little minds. As I finished each chapter of my novel, I read it to my children. I could tell which characters captured their imagination, as they started to show up in the on-going narrative play in our household. My kids thought nothing of sending my characters off on wild, universe-conquering adventures that were completely unrelated to my… Read More
RL: 6.0 CSM: 9+ Rating: PG-13 Content: Puppy love, chaste kiss, drunk adult Savvy, by Ingrid Law, is a charming tale chock-full of down-home-isms that give a feel for the Nebranska-Arkansas setting of this coming-of-age story. Mibs, a twelve year old girl about to turn thirteen and get her very own savvy, tells the story of the misadventures of her and… Read More
I went to a writer’s conference this weekend, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Prairie Writer’s Conference. It was an amazing and intense day of break-out sessions and speakers and a chance to meet other writers, published and unpublished, as well as agents and editors. While writing is, by necessity, a solitary pursuit, the community of writers… Read More
Ink Spells talked about ratings before, and now I want to delve into some of the differences between visual and print media. Parents are used to monitoring what movies their children see, with the MPAA ratings system helpful in a general way to scout out visual land mines that might be awaiting you at the theatre. Common Sense Media rates movies as… Read More
I love, nay adore, the Lemony Snicket series. I’ve read the books, twice with two different kids, met the author (in character, as Mr. Snicket), and even heard him sing. And play the mandolin, which in this case means a small musical instrument with a pear-shaped body and a fretted neck. RL: 6.3-6.7 CSM: 9+ Rating: PG Content: Dark humor,… Read More
How to you keep your children supplied with books? In our household it’s a steady round-robin of the local public library, the teacher’s book collection, the school library, and excursions to the bookstore. And of course my well-used account on Amazon.com, and increasingly BarnesAndNoble.com. Occasionally, I will borrow books, but more often I give them away – back to the… Read More