K.D. McCrite

Books To Take Us Away

“There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away . . .” opens a poem by Emily Dickinson. A frigate is a ship, originally moved by oars. These days a frigate is warship. But I think Miss Dickinson had in mind more of a cruise liner than a warship when she wrote that poem. For most of us, seeing the world, meeting lots and lots of people, having new and exciting adventures sounds like fun.

Read more

Joyce Magnin

So What is Middle Grade Fiction, Anyway?

Here’s the thing, I get asked a lot of questions about writing for the kiddoes. Two of the most complicated questions are, “What exactly is Middle grade fiction?” and “What are age group fits the definition?” I’m going to try and answer these questions, at least in part because as we all know, writing is not an exact science. It’s not like explaining the difference between a proton and a neutron. 

Read more

Max Anderson

Imagination

For as long as I can remember, my life has been involved with the production of dramatic films, video programs, and television commercials. Many of these films were produced to be rented to churches—long before video came along. Of these films, my favorite projects were those intended for younger viewers. We called them our kids films.

Read more