From The Mixed Up Files

Welcome to Writing Tips and Resources! This month we’re talking about: Climbing the Mountain of Your Writing Project! Like a mountain, a writing project can be big, confusing, and hard to picture in its totality. Luckily, we can prepare to write just like we prepare to climb a mountain. Let’s work through these stages so you can approach your new project with confidence. [Photo by: Alpsdake (CC-BY-SA-3.0)] PREPARATION The work you do before you start a climb sets you up for success. In the same way, preparing before you write helps you succeed.  [Photo by:...

Exciting news for budding librarians and other people who love deep diving into information: The Library of Congress (LoC) is opening The Source, a special space for kids 8 and older to learn about research and information. According to the LoC, The Source will be a “space to discover how information and research can nourish curiosity, creativity and change… Through dynamic interactive experiences, kids will explore the Library’s resources and discover their own researcher identity by exploring collections, finding and analyzing information and considering perspectives represented in the Library.”   The space was designed with help from a youth advisory council,...

For a short month, February is overflowing with brand new middle grade books. Have a look and let us know which of our Middle Grade New Releases you’re looking forward to reading.     Serendipity by Gabbie Benda Serendipity is the luckiest kid in the world. But what happens when...

Welcome to Writing Tips and Resources! This month we’re talking about: Climbing the Mountain of Your Writing Project! Like a mountain, a writing project can be big, confusing, and hard to picture in its totality. Luckily, we can prepare to write just like we prepare to climb a mountain. Let’s...

How long would you last by yourself… in the Amazon rainforest… after surviving a plane crash?  Although this sounds like a work of fiction, Ellen Cochrane’s new book, Follow the Water, is an account of Juliane Koepcke’s unbelievable survival story. In addition, Ellen includes informational sections that explain in better...

You turn the crank on the side of the colorful box once, then once again, and then wait.  You turn it slower and slower, rapt in anticipation of that freaky clown’s surprise appearance when the lid springs open. With every turn, your heart beats faster, and your eyes get a...

I’m delighted to welcome award-winning author Fleur Bradley to the blog. I first discovered Fleur when I devoured her middle grade mystery Midnight at the Barclay Hotel. With its clever clues and spectacular twist, it felt very Agatha Christie for kids. I became an instant fan. She followed with Daybreak on...

I’m delighted to welcome award-winning author Fleur Bradley to the blog. I first discovered Fleur when I devoured her middle grade mystery Midnight at the Barclay Hotel. With its clever clues and spectacular twist, it felt very Agatha Christie for kids. I became an instant fan. She followed with Daybreak on...