For Teachers

Encouraging Summer Reading

By on June 19, 2015   /   For Parents, For Teachers  

It’s summer! The perfect time for kids to have fun, relax, and to hopefully discover some amazing books. As a teacher I am often asked by parents how they  can get their kids reading over the summer. Here are some of the things I find encourages summer reading.

1. Let your child choose

Summer is the perfect time for reading for pleasure. During the school year your child has to worry about the level of the book and whether it’s just right, but over the summer your child should read anything that interests them. If the book ends up being too hard, your child will put it down. It really can’t be too easy as long as your child is enjoying it. And your child doesn’t have to read books. There are some amazing magazines for kids that they may want to read.

2. Make books a family experience

Research shows that it is enriching for kids to have book read aloud to them as old as high school. Summer is a great time to read to your child, either a whole book or by taking turns. If you don’t have time to read together, or if your child insists on reading to him or herself, read the same book so that you can talk about it together. This is especially helpful for getting through the dreaded summer reading list. If your school has required reading, reading and discussing the books on the list will also help your child remember the book later on.

3. Join summer reading contests

Local libraries are great for encouraging summer reading. They have contests with prizes for kids and teens. Many libraries have made joining their contests incredibly easy by allowing kids to post the books they have read online. But don’t just look at the library for summer contests. Local stores and banks often have summer reading contests as well. If you want to do something online, Scholastic has a summer reading challenge.

4. Book lists and more

Start with the lists we have here on our blog. Each month we post new releases and we have a ton of genre and interest lists. Your local library also has some great lists. If your child is more visual, a great place to have them visit is Book Trailers for Readers. I particularly love the student made blockbusters. Once your child has read a book, you can have them use IMovie to create their own. Then your child can be the one to recommend books to others.

How do you encourage summer reading? Do you have any other ways for kids to find great books?

Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and the author of recently released middle grade novel THE SWEET SPOT. She blogs about girls in sports at Sporty Girl Books. Visit Stacy at www.stacymozer.com, on Twitter @SMozer, and on Facebook.

Back to Top

Atlantis Rises Again–a Giveaway

By on June 16, 2015   /   For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, Giveaways  

Book Two in T.A. Barron’s trilogy is here.

atlantis in peril

“Atlantis in Peril” follows “Atlantis Rising”, and to celebrate, we’re giving away a copy of each book.

About the new book: 

When Promi and Atlanta transformed their native land into the magical island of Atlantis, little did they know an advanced civilization would arise only a few years later, threatening their homeland once again. As Promi struggles with his feelings for Atlanta, Narkazan discovers the weakness between the spirit realm and the mortal world and plots his revenge. Will the desire for power win over the power of love to conquer and save all? Readers will toggle between the spirit and mortal world as Promi races to save residents and loved ones in both realms.

Booklist on “Atlantis in Peril”: “Story lines related to love and family relationships, environmental responsibility and destruction, and good overcoming evil are all in play as readers reach a sinister cliff-hanger of an ending.”

About T.A. Barron:

T.A. Barron is the New York Times bestselling author of the Merlin Saga, which has sold millions of copies worldwide and was recently optioned for a major motion picture by Disney.  Always a believer that every child can be a hero, T.A. Barron founded the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, which honors outstanding young people who have made a significant difference to communities and our environment.  He lives in Colorado with his family. For more information, please visit www.tabarron.com

To win copies, please leave a comment below. Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible.

 

Back to Top

On the Eve of Escape

By on June 12, 2015   /   Author Interviews, For Kids, For Librarians, For Teachers, For Writers, Writing  

Here at The Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors, we have scheduling fairies who put names on a magical calendar so that we all know who is posting and when. And, weeks ago, when I saw the date I would next post, I immediately thought, “Oh! That’s the day before I escape to…”

maine beach web small

Every year, this land-locked Ohio farm girl spends a week in a cottage on the  Maine shore with nine writing friends. It is often the most inspiring and productive week of my writing year. I can smell the ocean air already!

I began to wonder how other middle-grade authors escape the daily grind. Where do they go to think more clearly? Breathe more deeply?

And, so, I just asked.

Some of you might follow author Cynthia Lord on Facebook. If you don’t, you probably should click on her name and do that now, because she posts thoughtfully and with her heart, and you’ll love following her. And if you already do, you know that she has this great little escape in her own backyard.

cynthia lord's writing shed

Cynthia told me that she got her writing shed (aptly dubbed “Walden Backyard”) after RULES won a Newbery Honor and she and her husband were a bit cramped sharing an office in their house. Cynthia’s escape is close to home, and she loves writing in her multi-season shed. (We would say all-season, but she does live in Maine, and I’ve seen pictures in which the snow was piled nearly as high as the shed!)

lisa yee   Author of WARP SPEED and THE KIDNEY HYPOTHETICAL, Lisa Yee was caught in mid-escape when I contacted her. She wrote back:

“Ha! As I reply to your question, I am sitting in a hotel room where I’ve escaped to get writing done.”

Enough said, Lisa! Now, get back to work and don’t let me get in the way of progress!

I was surprised how many authors escape to water.  Kirby kirby LARSONLarson, author of HATTIE BIG SKY and the new DASH and DUKE, escapes ocean-side to be with the eagles and hummingbirds. It’s interesting that negative ocean ions can positively affect one’s blood pressure!  Thanks, Kirby!

tricia springstubbMixed-Up Files Author Tricia Springstubb echoed the water theme as well. Her newest middle-grade novel MOONPENNY ISLAND is set on a fictitious island. It’s no small coincidence that Moonpenny Island mirrors Kelley’s Island and Tricia’s favorite rocky and remote get-away.  Tricia finds water so motivating, she often swims to clear her head and has solved more than one plot dilemma after coming out of the pool!

Some writers, though they enjoy a good vacation, have found a more accessible escape. Margaret Peterson Haddix (the MISSING series and the SHADOW CHILDREN series) and Marlane Kennedy (THE DOG DAYS OF CHARLOTTE HAYES and the DISASTER STRIKES series) both agreed that when they are caught up in a good writing moment, their best escape is the story itself. Marlane shares, “When I am deep within  a story, I am not even aware of my surroundings. I am transported to wherever and whatever is happening in my story, and my writing escape is more within my mind than anywhere else.”  (Margaret’s escape mode, however, is not entirely waterless. Like Tricia,  she’s another swimmer/thinker!)

Peterson and KennedyMargaret Peterson Haddix and Marlane Kennedy

Lots more  Mixed-Up Files Authors weighted in as well! You can see their pictures and read about their books here.  But first, take a moment to read about their escapes:

Jacqueline Jaeger Houtman – Coffee shop. Earbuds. Vivaldi.

Michele Weber Hurwitz – I’m a big walker. Nothing like a long walk to clear my head and work through trouble spots in a WIP.

Greg R. Fishbone – Long train rides are great for writing.

Amie Borst – When my office won’t suffice, I love to sit on my back deck or by the lake. (There’s that water thing again!)

Valerie Stein – On the sailboat! Calm, quiet motion at the dock, free of distractions. (And again!)

Rosanne Parry – Love writing in my treehouse in the summer. Fresh air, lots of birds & squirrels for company and no distractions. Bliss!

Okay, I admit it. I just couldn’t leave Rosanne’s comment without hoping on over to her website to see if, just maybe, she had a picture of said treehouse. And, bingo! Here it is.

rosanne tree house

So, we would love to hear about your writing escape. Comment below and let us know where you go! I’ll try to respond, but remember, in less than 24 hours, I’ll be escaping to…

maine porch web small

Michelle Houts is the author of four books for middle-grade readers. She loves mail (the real, slow, stamped-envelope kind) so she created the 52 Letters in a Year Challenge to encourage writers young and not very young to help revive the art of letter-writing. Visit Michelle at www.michellehouts.com. On Twitter @mhoutswrites and on Facebook as Michelle Houts.

Back to Top