Anne-Marie Strohman: [00:00:00] Welcome to the second episode of the Kid Lit Craft Podcast. This season we’re doing a deep dive into Martine Leavitt’s, Buffalo Flats. We’re so excited to talk about the craft of writing for kids by looking at this excellent mentor text. I’m Anne-Marie Stroman I’m a writer for children and young adults, and I also write short stories for adult readers. Erin Nuttall: Hi, I’m Erin Nuttall and I too write for kids, mostly YA and middle grade. Anne-Marie Strohman: On Kid Lit craft. we look at mentor texts to discover the mechanics of how writers do what they do, fo ..read more

At KidLit Craft we look at the mechanics of how writers do what they do, so we can improve our own writing. In this series, we’re taking a deep dive into Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats. Erin has called this the perfect novel, so we’re tearing it apart to see how Martine put it together.  In this introductory episode, we cover how we met (at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where we both did MFAs in Writing for Children and Young Adults), how the podcast came about, why Buffalo Flats, and what you can expect from this series. Links: Martine Leavitt’s Buffalo Flats Vermont College ..read more

craft post by Anne-Marie Strohman This fall, I’ve been piloting a class on writing middle grade novels. We’ve spent some time looking at scene construction. In studying scene endings, I told the class that one option is to “put a button on it.” One participant asked what that meant. I realized I didn’t actually know, at least not well enough to define it clearly. It turns out, it’s an acting term, and I’ve likely been hearing it on the screenwriting podcast I listen to. And it’s also a great tool for writers to use! Let’s define the term, look at some examples, and examine why buttons can be t ..read more

craft review by Cathy Petter Carrie Firestone’s middle grade novel The First Rule of Climate Club is a large-cast gem that takes on complacent adults, love for our planet, friendship and middle school. In this follow-up to Dress Coded, Fisher Middle School’s new eighth graders get the opportunity to participate in a science class pilot program devoted to climate change. Firestone tells their story through protagonist Mary Kate’s eyes, but Firestone’s use of a slew of different communications gives the author room for other points of view as well. Let’s take a deep dive into how she does it. Me ..read more

interview by Cathy Petter I first met Carrie Firestone at a writing retreat in 2016. In the following weeks I watched with admiration as Carrie jumped in to help organize her Connecticut community, raising money and sponsoring Puerto Rican families who were suffering after Hurricane Maria, organizing clothing drives for local families in need, and co-founding Forward CT, a grassroots organization dedicated to helping people and helping people be active politically. Carrie makes it easy for others to jump in and participate – and so they do. As if that weren’t enough, I’m in awe of Carrie’s wri ..read more

craft post by Anne-Marie Strohman In the past few years, a number of fantastic anthologies of short stories for middle grade and young adult readers have come out, and they continue to be published and find an audience. Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi, Flying Lessons edited by Ellen Oh, Rural Voices edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, The Hero Next Door edited by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Foreshadow edited by Nova Ren Suma and Emily X.R. Pan, Ab(solutely) Normal edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Rocky Callen, and the very recent The Collectors edited by A.S. King feature a diversity o ..read more

craft review by Jackie Friedman Mighdoll Simon Sort of Says is my new favorite middle grade novel, a laugh-aloud story about the sole survivor of a mass school shooting. Did I just put the words laugh aloud and school shooting in the same sentence? I did. And I meant it. This isn’t just a book with a kid with a snarky tone. Or a great voice. Or a few snickery-bits to complement the tears. This is a book that’s so funny I snorted. My friend – a normal adult with no particular interest in books for 8-12 year olds – not only laughed aloud, but she made her husband, her college-age son, and her d ..read more

guest post by Mark Goldblatt A Story My friend Sal once crossed paths with John Lennon. It happened in the West Village in New York City in the early 1970s. Sal, in his mid-twenties, noticed Lennon and Yoko Ono walking toward him, about a half block away. That half block gave Sal more than enough time to figure out what to say. The problem was that his mind went blank. That was John Lennon strolling up the block. An actual Beatle! On Hudson Street! Coming right at him! Keep in mind that Sal had worked for a time as a NYC taxi driver. So he’d chatted with celebrities who climbed into the back s ..read more

guest post by Linda B. Davis I recently observed a family of four decide where to sit on the patio of a seat-yourself restaurant. The son, who looked to be ten, chose a table in the sun. His younger sister, squinting dramatically, preferred a shady spot a few feet away. Their mom sided with the daughter at first, then changed her mind. They squabbled and switched tables at least four times before the father arrived with their tray of food. He had no patience for the debate and insisted that they sit together at the shaded table. Watching this drama play out made me think about writing my debu ..read more

interview by Erin Nuttall The thing I love most about Martha Brockenbrough’s writing is that she is unafraid. Yes, she’s imaginative, funny, thoughtful, and precise which all make her stories a joy to read, but to write bravely is a skill that few have and put Martha’s work on another plane. She slides easily between age ranges, genres, and styles. Her work explores difficult subjects in relatable and often funny ways. Importantly, she never takes her readers for granted and speaks to them as equals. —Erin Nuttall KidLit Craft: What inspired you to write the Frank series?  Martha Brocken ..read more