THE MAGIC WORDS: Writing Great Books For Children and Young Adults

I rarely post about books on the craft of writing because I was being inundated by requests from publicists and authors to review their books for Inkygirl readers. To reiterate: I lack the time or inclination to be an official book reviewer, so please do NOT put me back on your lists. Thank you. :-)

I do, however, sometimes post about books I like, and I had to post very briefly about THE MAGIC WORDS: Writing Great Books For Children and Young Adults by Cheryl B. Klein (W.W. Norton). SUCH a wonderful resource for children's book writers!

Not only is this a great book for a beginner, but it also has so much wisdom and insight for more experienced writers. I like it because it's straightforward, explains things clearly and makes sense. As I work on my own middle grade novel projects, I sometimes get a bit muddled and discouraged -- revisiting sections in THE MAGIC WORDS helps me get back on track.

Formerly an executive editor at Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, Cheryl is now editorial director at Lee & Low Books. You can follow her on Twitter at @chavelaque.