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 re…