The tricky parts of growing up
Books for kids who are nervous about getting older or dealing with change, my picks for bookish Father's Day gifts, and some recent thought-provoking articles about children's literature.
Who moved my cheese?
Doing all the little tricky things it takes to grow up, step by step, into an anxious and unsettling world.
The epigraph for my debut middle grade novel is a little dark, but I also think it expresses the feeling that a lot of young people have about growing up (myself included), and I didn’t want to shy away from that.
Like Bertie, the main character in All the Little Tricky Things, by the end of primary school I found myself wishing that I didn’t have to get any older. It all just seemed too hard. My Dad had to go out and buy me a copy of Who Moved My Cheese? to try and help me tackle the move to high school. Luckily, these days, there are better book options available for guiding kids through change. (But thanks all the same, Dad! I still have my copy!)
I wrote my first book to do just that: reassure kids that yes, change can be really tricky, but also, you’re not alone. And you can get through it, for the most part (at least) relatively unscathed!
There are some really, really great novels out there for middle grade readers that can usher them through the transition from tween to teen, or primary to secondary school, or other big changes that come along with puberty and growing up, and help them face a whole new stage in their lives with a bit more confidence and courage. Here are some of my go-tos:
Summer of Shipwrecks by Shivaun Plozza (out next week!)
If you’re looking for more, check out this fantastic list by Rebecca Sparrow.
Absurdly funny Misplaced Dads and stern (but loving) Father Bunny
With Father’s Day coming up tomorrow, it’s not too late to nip out and buy a Dad in your life a special picture book to share together as a family.
(I’ll be working at The Kids’ Bookshop in Mitcham today 12-3pm if you want to come say hi and grab one!)
Here are the current favourite father-related books in my house:
If You Run Out of Words by Felicita Sala
Felicita Sala’s illustrations are always wonderful, and this new title will make for a really special gift. It’s one of those books that you’ll want to keep forever.
The Bureau of Misplaced Dads by Eric Veille (also published as The Lost Dads Home)
This unique story is genuinely very strange and always cracks me up. We also really like Eric Veille’s Lionel board book series, which includes another relevant one for this list: Lionel is Just Like Dad.
Peck Peck Peck by Lucy Cousins
This was my daughter’s first ever book, and it continues to be a big hit! Lucy Cousins is a genius at drawing in little ones with images and rhymes, and adults will never get bored of reading (and re-reading, and re-reading) her stories.
A Day That’s Ours by Blake Nuto and Vyara Boyadjieva
A sentimental tear-jerker that encourages readers to reflect on special time spent with family. A book filled with small details and precious moments.
A Surprise for Miffy’s Father by Dick Bruna
Father Bunny is a little buttoned-up, but he loves Miffy very much. The fun shape of this petite board book is perfect for little hands and good for on-the-go storytelling.
Reading about reading
A couple of articles that I’ve come across this week that might be of interest:
This one about misleading book covers, especially when it comes to marketing to young people. This is really relevant given the popularity of Colleen Hoover, etc. among teenagers. Personally, I am someone who doesn’t believe in censorship when it comes to literature, and if there is a once-reluctant teen reader out there who is now devouring endless books thanks to BookTok, then I am all for it. With suitable warnings and parent/educator scaffolding and support, I think we can trust our young people to read within their own limits. BUT it does seem a bit insidious if publishers are starting to manipulate the trend in this way, and deceive readers (and their guardians) with book covers. It’s a little worrying.
A SubStack post by Taylor Sterling of Moonbow, sent to me by a friend (thanks Carla!), that’s all about Margaret Wise Brown and her incredible work. I know I mostly write about contemporary kids books here, but Goodnight Moon is a such an enduring, hypnotic and wonderfully eerie classic, and this is a great look into the distinct creativity of this acclaimed author. I particularly liked this paragraph:
While Goodnight Moon can be comforting, it can also be deeply unsettling. The ingenious use of text and image emulates the strange and sometimes scary feeling of drifting in and out of consciousness at bedtime—the hazy, liminal space between awake and asleep. The sense of sight gets foggy; it flickers with hallucinatory visions; things appear, disappear, and reappear again. Other senses are heightened right before they, too, slip away into dreamland.
The latest edition of the By the Book series (writers on literature and the literary life) by The New York Times. This interview is with Amanda Jones, a Louisiana middle school librarian who has written a memoir called That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America. By the Book is a wonderful series to dive into, especially if you’re nosy about other people’s reading habits, like I am. And I love some of Amanda’s choices. We seem to have a lot in common, in a literary sense!
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Is there a topic you’d like me to cover in a future newsletter? Get in touch at karysmcewen@gmail.com and I’ll see what I can do!
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