Tips To Make Reading FUN!

Are you looking for ways to make reading more fun? Well, you're in luck because we've got some great tips just for you!...

Writing Fan Fiction - It’s Not Just A Hobby

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase before, “All art is derivative.” It sounds like a negative statement but actually, for writers and creatives that are just starting out, this can be freeing! What a great way to learn your craft, by being inspired and studying the work of those who have gone before you...

Tips For Creating Immersive Worlds For Fantasy Writers. 

The Importance of Diversity

Diversity in the young adult fiction world has become increasingly important in recent years. Reading has always been more than just a pastime, it’s a passport to other cultures and experiences...

The Perfect Reading Spot

I’ve recently moved house and so I’ve got to find a new place for everything. Where does the frying pan go? Where does the cute coffee table book look best?...

Top 5 Writing Competitions For Young Writers 

At around 12 years old - although I had a hard time concentrating, my mom and teacher encouraged me to start writing. I loved art: dance, painting and film, and so for me, creativity was the very best way to transcend everything that was mean and ordinary in life....

The Impact of Art on a Young Mind

Have you read Charlie Mackesy’s book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse? It’s such a beautiful story of endurance, love and kindness revolving around 4 unlikely friends. Recently it was adapted into an animated short film that won best animated short film at The Oscars. ‍

3 Books That Were Inspired By Music 

You might have guessed it from the title, but that's right, The Color of Music was hugely inspired by music. Author Valerie was particularly inspired by the bands of her youth like The Beatles when creating her fictional band, The Black Hats.

Practice Writing With These 6 Exercises

How do you become a great writer? Like any craft, it requires PRACTICE. You’ve got to put in your 10,000 hours. So with that in mind, here are 6 writing exercises that you can do whether you are well-practiced or just starting out. Use these as weekly or monthly habits or to get you started on a brand new idea. 

5 Ideas To Get Your Students To Fall In Love With Reading

1. Involve students in the selection of reading materials. Allowing them to choose books that interest them will help them to stay engaged with the material. Stay up-to-date with what books are trending on #BookTok and present the best options to your class...

Readers Make Good Writers

It’s true! If you want to be a good writer you need to read. There is a simple principle behind this. The more you practice the better you will become at anything. Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers looked at the phenomenon of the 10,000 hour rule...

Book Characters As Role Models

How important are books for helping our children learn about themselves and the world around us? As a writer I am biased, but I think book characters can be powerful influences for good...

Is #BookTok Worth The Hype?

If you are in the literary world right now, likely you would have come across BookTok. But for those who might not be familiar, #BookTok is a popular hashtag used on TikTok...

Positive Screen Time

There is a lot of well-founded chatter about the negative effects of screen time for kids, but how about viewing screen time through a more positive lens?...

What Is Better? The Movie Or The Book?

One of the coolest things that happened to me when I was around ten-years-old was the introduction of a free movie night at the local library. I can still remember...

Reading And The Senses

Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. The 5 senses, each one as important as the next. If you had to lose one, it would be incredibly hard to choose. Books, though static in nature, have long lent a sensorial experience through the imagination. Gifted writers have helped us disappear into other worlds...

Encouraging Your Child To Read

When I was eight years old my mother read ‘The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe’ to me and my siblings. We were enchanted! She was a good reader, and the story was pure magic...

5 Books To Read If You LOVED The First Chapter Of The Color of Music And Can’t Wait For More. 

1. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle , 2. Somewhere Around The Corner by Jackie French. 3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. ...

Discovering Reading With Dyslexia

Always been a big lover of reading, in particular reading fantasy. I started reading Lord Of The Rings at age 10 and my favorite teacher in primary school was the librarian who introduced me to Harry Potter. So I always imagined myself finding a partner who would share my love of reading...

Overcoming The Stigma of ADHD as a Young Reader

According to the CDC, ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors or be overly active...

How To Write a Hit Song

When I first came up with the idea of Klyde Kurkle and his band from the ‘60s I had fallen in love with the Beatles. My mother was pretty sure it was an obsession and forbade me from over-indexing on listening to their music, and voraciously reading books about their reign at the top of the pop charts...

Meet Gaby

Gaby (pictured left) is 15, lives in Miami, and is passionate about writing music. She reads all her books online and has a great sense of humor...

Is Empathy a Superpower?

She felt a desire in her, growing in her heart – something bigger than herself. We all know what it’s like to be young, looking out at a world that is both frightening and exciting...