Resources

Start at your library

Looking for a good middle grade or upper middle grade book to read? Children’s librarians make that sort of book quest their job, and want to help. So tell them about your interests. Read what they recommend, then tell them what you enjoyed about it (or didn’t). The more they get to know you, the more on-target their recommendations will be. If there is a book you’re longing to read that your public library doesn’t have, ask your librarian how to make a purchase request. Librarians make great book partners!

Middle grade book experts

I enjoy visiting these websites when I’m looking for a new book:

• Reading Middle Grade: Afoma Umesi has easy-to-access lists of books she recommends, sorted by both age and grade.
• From the Mixed-Up Files: This website features blog posts and reviews that celebrate middle grade books. Check out new releases under their “Book Lists” tab.
• Everyday Reading: Former children’s librarian Janssen Bradshaw has a helpful “Books by Age” tab on her Everyday Reading site, and it’s clear that she and I have reading tastes in common! Under her “Books by Age” tab, check out “Chapter Books,” then “Historical Fiction Books for Kids”—or one of her other thoughtful lists.

Access to books for all

Every kid should be able to recognize themselves in the pages of a book—and not just as a minor character or sidekick. If you’re looking for a book with characters that reflect your own background and experience, the website We Need Diverse Books includes links to other helpful sites with focused book lists of their own.

Access to all books

Book banning is on the rise in many communities. Among others, these organizations are helping to lead the fight against book banning and get challenged books back on library shelves:

• Brooklyn Library
• Unite Against Book Bans
• We Need Diverse Books

Here’s a rundown of writing resources I’ve found of help on my journey:

I write my initial drafts in Scrivener because it’s so easy to move chapters and scenes around. I also like Scapple from the same company for brainstorming and organizing ideas, chapters, and scenes so I can see them all at a glance.

Books and Online Help

There are countless books and websites that focus on the writing of fiction; these have gems of writing wisdom I continue to treasure.

Books

• Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress, Writer’s Digest Books, 1993
• On Writing by Stephen King, Scribner, 2000
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Random House, 1994
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King, Harper Collins, 1993
• Story by Robert McKee, Harper Collins, 1997
• Second Sight by Cheryl B. Klein, Asterisk Books, 2012

Websites

• Helping Writers Become Authors by K. M. Weiland
• Kid Lit 411, the brainchild of Elaine Kiely Kearns and Sylvia Liu, is a great source of information specifically for writers and illustrators of children’s literature.

Professional Groups

My membership in these professional groups provides me with encouragement, inspiration, and a sense of community—as well as with essential knowledge!

• The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
• The Authors Guild

Conferences and Workshops

Conferences and workshops have helped me evolve as a children’s author in countless ways; many offer scholarships. Those run by the following have been favorites:

• Better Books Marin
• The Highlights Foundation
• The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
• Whale Rock Workshops

For Young Writers

Numerous workshops, camps, and organizations make it their mission to help young writers. Ask your teacher for a recommendation or search for workshops or camps online using the terms “Writers workshops for teens” or “high school” or “kids” or “middle school,” then add “near me” or “in my state.”

The 826 organization, founded by children’s author Dave Eggers, serves more than 700,000 students and supports young writers in many cities across the country. I’m a big fan!

Books as Teachers

Reading well-crafted books is my preferred way to learn about children’s writing and historical fiction. Here are some favorite novels (mostly middle grade) that I keep on my shelf for easy reference; I’ve marked ones that transport readers to earlier times with an asterisk:

• A Single Shard * by Linda Sue Park
• Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• Between Shades of Gray * by Ruta Sepetys
• Chains * (and The Seeds of America Trilogy) by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Esperanza Rising * by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• Okay for Now * and The Wednesday Wars * by Gary D. Schmidt
• Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
• The Book Thief * by Markus Zusak
• The London Eye Mystery and The Bog Child * by Siobhan Dowd
• The Midwife’s Apprentice * by Karen Cushman
• When You Reach Me * by Rebecca Stead
• Wringer * by Jerry Spinelli

If you’re a young reader, parent of a young reader, or library lover of any age wanting to support children’s library services in your school or town, this is for you:

Some years back, when all funding to our local public library was cut—leaving the children’s librarian with no budget—some other parents and I did the following. To raise money, we asked business and private donors to sponsor one of a dozen reading chairs (chairs that were already in the library) for $60 an hour. We promised them that a kid—or a younger child and their parent—would read while sitting in that chair for every minute the donor had sponsored. Some donors paid for an hour of a chair; some sponsored a chair for our entire 12-hour readathon.

The kids didn’t have to do any face-to-face or online fundraising themselves. All they had to do was sign up to read for an hour in one of the sponsored chairs, thereby earning a dollar a minute for the library. Each proudly carried home a certificate that documented their contribution!

When we held our in-library readathon, we kept those 12 chairs filled with readers from noon until midnight. It was fun and rewarding for all involved and each year yielded more than $10,000 in donations until the funding crisis passed. If you’d like more details, I’m happy to share our process. Please email me at Publicity@Candlewick.com with “Mail for Linda Joan Smith” in the subject line, and mention library fundraising in the body of your email.