From The Mixed Up Files

Finding a way into a challenging topic: Writing about something scary “Look, there’s a spider!”If someone says that to you, would you jump away? Or lean in closer? Spiders elicit widely varying emotional responses—appealing to some and appalling others—which makes writing about them a fascinating task. With such wide-ranging reactions, how do you reach readers to teach them about these marvellous creatures without scaring them away? Here are some tried and true tricks: Believe it or not, you can apply these questions to your nonfiction writing and research. Let’s take a look at these examples...

“Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” That’s the theme of this year’s Banned Books Week. A joint effort by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Banned Books Week Coalition, this annual week of focus provides the opportunity to make a bold, collective statement about the freedom to read.    This year’s campaign features three separate illustrations that highlight the importance of libraries. According to the ALA, award-winning illustrators Hyesu Lee, Loveis Wise, and Mikey Burton created artwork that “embraces joy and creativity as acts of resilience, reminding our communities that a handful of people running organized censorship...

In recent news, the Guiness Book of World Records just named Advay Jain as the youngest person to publish a book at the tender age of 3 years and 345 days old! This news caught my eye since it takes me longer than that to simply finish a draft for...

Finding a way into a challenging topic: Writing about something scary “Look, there’s a spider!”If someone says that to you, would you jump away? Or lean in closer? Spiders elicit widely varying emotional responses—appealing to some and appalling others—which makes writing about them a fascinating task. With such wide-ranging reactions,...

Dragonborn: the Twilight Child is the second book in the rapidly-expanding world introduced in Dragonborn. This fast-paced book throws readers headfirst into Alex’s story, as she struggles to contain her emotions and figure out why her overprotective mother is so over the top… but Alex never expected the answer to...

We love a good mystery, and a little mayhem, which means Heist at the Museum! The Greatest Jewel Heist in U.S. History is right up our alley. Today, we’re chatting with Sam Subity about his latest middle grade adventure. Break out your top-secret notepad and get ready to crack the...

Get cozy this fall and cuddle up with one of these amazing new books. October 6th The Creeps By Tahlor Mejia Front Desk meets Stephen King! In this perfectly frightening middle grade read, a twelve-year-old boy moves into a creepy motel where breaking the rules doesn’t just mean getting kicked...

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” This famous quote by Stephen King encapsulates an important truth for writers: We should always be reading, and the parenthetical in that quote tells us why. Reading gives us tools, and the only...