Blog

STEM Tuesday– Transportation– Writing Tips and Resources

By on November 18, 2025   /   STEM Tuesday, Transportation  

Planes, trains, and automobiles.

Bikes, scooters, and motorcycles.

Boats, snowmobiles, and skateboards.

Modes of transportation. Ways to get from one place to another.

Luis Alvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If we know where we’re going and have a semi-reliable means of transportation, then odds are we will arrive at the intended destination. If we don’t know the way, we can use some form of a map to guide our travels. 

(Note: I still laugh forty-some years later at how, through the magic of those high school career aptitude tests, it was revealed that the perfect profession for me was as a cartographer. Of course, I had to consult the dictionary to find out what a cartographer actually was. After some consideration and with no clue how to become a cartographer, that plan was quickly scrapped. In hindsight, I question that decision.) 

 

Yan Irvan Ardi Ristanto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Reading is a mode of transportation. Reading takes the reader places. When I read one of my favorite authors, Rick Bass, his words bring me to the Yaak Valley of Montana or the Hill Country of Texas. When I read books from this month’s STEM Tuesday Transportation Book List, I’m transported underground with Big Bertha digging tunnels for roadways, discovering what makes various types of working boats work, and sitting alongside crash test dummies as they make our vehicles safer to operate. 

As writers, it’s our job to create the mode of transportation to take the reader where we want them to go, whether it’s for entertainment purposes, informational purposes, or both. But how do we do that?

We do it by having a plan. The writer of any stripe needs to have an idea of where the destination lies to create the way there. As a sign in my local elementary school reads, “Begin with the end in mind.” Know where you want to go and then plan the way to get there. 

Writers need a reliable tool to navigate their story, so they must develop a carographer skill set.

They need a map. They need an outline.

Yes, the DREADED outline.

Just like me in my school kid days, I hear your collective groan. I understand. The thought of the classic structured outline, with its headings and subpoints, often throws creators into full retreat. The utter stodginess of it all!

With apologies to my 5th-grade English teacher, Sister Verene, OSB, I do not employ the classic outline structure she drilled into her students. In fact, I spent many a frustrating day as a writer, knocking my head against the wall, thinking that was the only way to outline. 

 

Luis Alvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I finally reached out to others and paid attention to craft tips from writers, and discovered that a working outline is simply a form that helps get the ideas down. 

Writers, embrace the outline! Find an outlining methodology that works for your brain and make it yours. Scribbles on scrap paper. Notes on your phone or computer. Even the classic outline format of headings and subpoints. Whatever gets the job done and transports the ideas in your head to the desired destination. 

When ideas become concrete on paper, and not just inside your head, they become real. They have a life. They can grow, be revised, and reach their final destination by following the outline map created. Ideas become complete stories that take the reader places. Therein lies the magic.

And that’s transportation at its finest!

Hop on, writers and readers! We’re going places.

 

Motacilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal-opportunity sports enthusiast, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about sports/life/training-related topics at www.coachhays.com and writer stuff at www.mikehaysbooks.com. Two of his science essays, The Science of Jurassic Park and Zombie Microbiology 101,  are included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books. He can be found roaming Bluesky under the guise of @mikehays64.bsky.social and @MikeHays64 on Instagram.

 

The O.O.L.F Files

This month on the Out Of Left Field (O.O.L.F.) Files, we take a deep dive into getting from one place to another with an exploration of transportation.

20 Scientific Benefits of Reading Books for Cognitive Development

“Books transport readers to different worlds, stimulating imagination and fostering creative thinking.”

Each page turned is a gateway to an uncharted territory of ideas and visuals. While reading, your brain creates vivid images based on descriptions, which ignites your imagination and sparks creativity. This process can help you develop innovative solutions to problems by encouraging you to think outside the box.

How to Write an Outline via WikiHow

Outlining via the George Mason University Writing Center

University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies K-12 Lesson Plans

As the son of a civil engineer who specialized in bridges and highways, I can appreciate classroom projects like The Great Dinkytown Bridge Challenge. It reminds me of playing with my dad and building structures out of things we had around the house. 

MetroDreamin’ Transportation System Design app

MetroDreamin’ allows you to design and visualize the transportation system that you wish your city had.

 

Back to Top

Books Addressing Poverty, Homelessness and Food Insecurity

By on November 14, 2025   /   Articles, Curriculum Tie-in  

Recent headlines prompted me to research the SNAP program. My deep dive into this topic made me wonder what books and resources might be out there for middle-grade readers and educators on poverty, homelessness and food insecurity.

I have to admit there seems to be more picture book titles on food insecurity, which could encourage discussion about the topic with older readers. Here is a great resource.

But, I did find a number of books for middle-grade readers that feature characters, both real and imagined, who struggle with dire living situations. Even though these are tough topics, each of these books offer hope to middle-grade readers. This list includes several inspiring memoirs!

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate, Square Fish, 2017, 272 pp.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There’s no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He’s large, he’s outspoken, and he’s imaginary. He has come back into Jackson’s life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary. This title has Common Core connections.

 

 

Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo, Candlewick, 2020, 240 pp.

When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for goodbyes. Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by the New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale. Now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.

And Then Boom! by Lisa Fipps, Nancy Paulsen Books, 2024, 256 pp.

Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can’t be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets “the itch,” and now he and his beloved grandmother find themselves without a home. Fortunately, Joe has an outlet in his journals and drawings and takes comfort from the lessons of comic books—superheroes have a lot of “and then, boom” moments, where everything threatens to go bust but somehow they land on their feet. And that seems to happen a lot to Joe too, as in this crisis his friend Nick helps them find a home in his trailer park. But things fall apart again when Joe is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn’t tell anyone he’s on his own, as he fears foster care and has hope his mom will come back. But time is running out—bills are piling up, the electricity’s been shut off, and the school year’s about to end, meaning no more free meals. The struggle to feed himself gets intense, and Joe finds himself dumpster diving for meals. He’s never felt so alone—until an emaciated little dog and her two tiny pups cross his path. And fate has even more in store for Joe, because an actual tornado is about to hit home—and just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted.
Boundless, by Chaunte’ Lowe, Scholastic Focus, 2023, 240 pp.
Everything seemed set against Chaunté Lowe. Growing up with a single mother in Paso Robles, California, where she experienced food insecurity, homelessness, and domestic abuse, Chaunté couldn’t imagine a future that offered a different sort of life. But then, one day, she turned on the TV and there was Flo Jo, competing in the Olympics and shattering records in track and field. Almost immediately, Chaunté knew what she wanted to do. She started running.

With the help of a small community of friends, family, and coaches, Chaunté worked as hard as she could – both in the classroom and out on the sports field – and through her own fierce determination and grit, she overcame every imaginable obstacle, eventually propelling herself to the place she always dreamed about: the Olympic medal podium.

Boundless is a story that will move anyone who’s ever had a big dream, ever dared to hope for a better future, and ever believed that nothing was impossible. In her own words, Chaunté presents her remarkable and inspiring story of loss and survival, perseverance and hope.

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen, Yearling, 2020, 288 pp.

Twelve-and-three-quarter-year-old Felix Knutsson has a knack for trivia. His favorite game show is Who What Where When; he even named his gerbil after the host. Felix’s mom, Astrid, is loving but can’t seem to hold on to a job. So when they get evicted from their latest shabby apartment, they have to move into a van. Astrid swears him to secrecy; he can’t tell anyone about their living arrangement, not even Dylan and Winnie, his best friends at his new school. If he does, she warns him, he’ll be taken away from her and put in foster care.

As their circumstances go from bad to worse, Felix gets a chance to audition for a junior edition of Who What Where When, and he’s determined to earn a spot on the show. Winning the cash prize could make everything okay again. But things don’t turn out the way he expects. . . .

Susin Nielsen deftly combines humor, heartbreak, and hope in this moving story about people who slip through the cracks in society, and about the power of friendship and community to make all the difference.

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle, Norton Young Readers, 2021, 224 pp.

Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout.
Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade–who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble–all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives.

Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.

 

 

Back to Top

End of the World Shenanigans and Adventures with Max Brallier

By on November 13, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Today, we’re excited to host Max Brallier, author of a stupendous amount of books, including the wildly popular Last Kids on Earth middle grade series. The highly-anticipated tenth installment, The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair, is out now, and we had the chance to talk with Max about it as well as what’s up next for this prolific writer.

 

Cover of The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor's Lair by Max Brallier and illustrated by Douglas Holgate

Thanks so much for joining us here at the Mixed-Up Files, Max. How exciting is it to be able to celebrate the release of the tenth book in the Last Kids on Earth series! As Quint says, that’s a lot of adventuring. This installment definitely doesn’t disappoint when it comes to shenanigans, superpowered boss fights, massive monsters, and an epic clash with Ŗeżżőcħ. It seems like the ultimate showdown is still yet to come, though. Can we expect even more adventuring with Jack and our other dauntless heroes?

Thanks for having me! Excited to chat. Super exciting to celebrate the release of the 10th book in the main series—although I have to admit it’s a confusing number, since there’s a 5.5 and a 7.5 and other ½ books that aren’t actually half books but kind of are. But it is, truly and really, the 10th anniversary for the series.

Friendship plays such a vital role in this series and in this book in particular. Though what a twist to have Jack and Quint fighting and not speaking for a big chunk of it! Quint is usually the man with the plan, and though he turns out to still be in the end in splendid fashion, Jack has to do a lot more on his own this time. How did you navigate having these two not communicating while still letting them explore the Monster Dimension and move closer to Ŗeżżőcħ?

It wasn’t easy! I’ve always resisted having the kids be locked in a fight for long periods of time; it never seemed like it would be fun to read or to write. But it made sense here. And I was able to do it in a way, I hope, that it won’t feel like a drag.

The Bewilderness was an exciting location to dive into (quite literally), and other places like BountyCon offered a lot of great visuals and details as well. Were there any places you would have liked to explore more in depth?

Lots more places! The Bewilderness sequence was initially a lot longer, and parts were very different. And the entire Hidden City itself was originally going to be more of a living, breathing creature-city.

 

It’s always struck me how fun and heartfelt these books are while there’s a lot of pretty serious stuff going on as well. In this story in particular, Jack is coming face to face with evil. How do you balance the lighthearted, funny tone with the more serious topics of loss and death that come with the apocalypse?

I find that to be the hardest thing about writing the series—and it has been, since book 1. I try to balance it by leaning into Jack’s 1st person POV and having him—usually—approach things in a way that’s lighthearted or wry.


The illustrations by Douglas Holgate are such a perfect match for the tone of the book, combining scale, energy, and cool monsters. At this point in the series, do you have a sense of which parts of the story would make for a good panel or aside in a dialogue bubble? Is that something you get to work on together?

Doug is incredible. More often than not, while writing the manuscript, I’ll call out which moments should be illustrated—stuff like cutaway gags or flashbacks or little asides. Or big action moments that I think we’ll really want to see. But then, when reading through the manuscript, Doug and the book’s designer, Jay, and editor, Dana, will often flag moments that they think would make for a good illustration.

Photo of Max Brallier
You’ve written several other series in addition to the Last Kids on Earth, like Eerie Elementary and Mister Shivers. With all of these great stories and characters, I’d love to ask a question you probably get all the time: Where do you get your ideas?

Sometimes an idea will just hit me when I’m sitting in my car or running errands, or lying on the couch. Other times it’s a real hunt, where I’m pacing around, trying to crack something, trying to find that idea that’s hopefully going to save the whole book at the last minute.


Can you tell us more about what you’re working on right now?

The next two Last Kids on Earth books, finishing up The Last Comics on Earth #4, and two new ideas—one middle grade, one very different.

 

Do you have any advice you’d give to writers who are interested in creating a series?

Start small! Beginning, middle, and end of one story first, while allowing for questions that the reader will hope to have answered, and places the readers will hope to visit.

 

And last but not least, if there’s an Order 72, are there 71 others?

I’m more worried about Orders 73 and beyond!

 

You can learn more about Max and his books at his website: https:www.maxbrallier.com

Back to Top