In the Mood for Poetry?

Here is a poem written by Kaley Kriesel from her blog Words. Don’t think this is a Halloween poem. This poem causes you to think and feel for those who may be cold on the outside but are wounded on the inside.

Hey warriors! I recently realized I’ve been trying too hard to create helpful posts when this blog isn’t just for writing tips but for my writing! So here’s a poem I wrote. I hope you enjoy it! The Dark House The sound of beating hoovesPound across the cobblestonesCracked and coated in dirt.From years of heavy […]

The Dark House: A Poem — Words

“Daddy’s Job” by Joseph Ficor (Starship Chi-Rho Studio)

Hi, all.

Want a short story that’s fitting for teens and adults? Something that’s sci fi and dystopian? Look no further than Joseph Ficor’s “Daddy’s Job.” Here, a little girl finds out that her dad’s job may not be so amazing. Rather, it involves murder. Ooo, that sounds dystopian right there, doesn’t it? Take it away, Joseph.

Here is the first story in my story a week challenge. It is a revision of a rough draft that I wrote last year. Please enjoy.              Daddy’s Job Nine-year-old Amarisa nearly ran into a wall when her little brother popped out of his hiding place behind the power junction near the hatch of their […]

Daddy’s Job — Starship Chi-Rho Studio

Dog Stories for Young Kids

You may have detected my obsession with canine stories. *smiles* If you share my love for them, here’s a couple of adorable tales for younger children. This here is Pupunzel, a retelling of Rapunzel for emerging readers.

Like Rapunzel, this cute golden pup has super long hair and is stuck in a tower. I do wonder why Pupunzel doesn’t chew her hair off and make a rope out of it. Then she can escape the tower that way. Maybe only scissors and razors can easily cut dog fur, and hers would be a lot of fur to chew through.

Reading of Pupunzel by Dixy’s Storytime World

You may remember my review on Laika: Astronaut Dog. It’s based on the story of Laika, the first dog to orbit Earth. If you haven’t read the review, you can read it through this link, but be warned. I do share the sad ending of Laika’s real story and explain how the retelling’s ending does her story a disservice.

Book Review of Laika: Astronaut Dog

But here’s a happier story about dogs who went into space.

The following link is Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud’s reading of Dogs in Space, the story of Belka and Strelka. And she’s joined by her adorable canine puppet, Jones.   

Dogs in Space Reading by Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud

Exciting Adventures for Middle Graders

Looking for an adventure story for your 8 to 12-year-olds? Try S.D. Smith’s The Green Ember series. I’ve only listened to the first audiobook of the series, and it was great. It can be compared to the Redwall series.

You can download the first audiobook for FREE when you sign up for S.D. Smith’s newsletter, where he shares news, giveaways, printables, and art created by kids.

S.D. Smith Newsletter Sign-up

And he has an exciting new book coming out, which he cowrote with his son. It’ll be available for pre-order October 4. To learn more, check out the following link (and the book trailer is awesome!).

Jack Zulu

Why I Read More Kids’ Books Than YA Books: A Casual Conversation Post — Words

Note: I shared this post from Kaley Kriesel’s blog Words.

Read on to find encouragement if you’ve ever felt silly for reading kids’ books as an adult or teen. Or even for writing more children’s stories than YA stories. I myself dabble in YA writing here and there, but I’ll probably be writing more children’s stories than YA. 😉

Hey, warriors! Welcome or welcome back to Words! Today’s post will be pretty casual since I’d like to just have a sort of conversation with you, and first up on the agenda is an explanation as to why I just called you warriors and why I’m going to keep it up. Ready? *makes a cup […]

Why I Read More Kids’ Books Than YA Books: A Casual Conversation Post — Words

More Homeschooling Materials for Language Arts

Looking for homeschooling lessons that have students study the classics? Try out Teachers Pay Teachers. Yes, they offer lessons for homeschoolers, too. Lessons list their appropriate grade levels. They include novel studies, comprehension bundles, study guides, read-alongs, and so on.

You can study classics like…

Frankenstein

Treasure Island

Robin Hood

Anne of Green Gables

Peter Pan

and more

Click on the button below to see samples of lessons for Call of the Wild by Jack London. Topics include…

dogs vs. wolves

Jack London himself

the Klondike Gold Rush

dog sled history

Call of the Wild Informational Reading Comprehension Bundle Wolves and Dogs

Fiction Illuminates Truth – Author Interview with Courtney M. Whitaker — M Liz Boyle

You may have known that I’ve written reviews of kids’ picture books, but I do keep my eye out for great middle grade and young adult books. Here is M Liz Boyle interviewing middle grade and young adult author Courtney M. Whitaker. Here they discuss how fiction can show characters shining their light in the darkness and even help us have empathy toward the hurting.

Please welcome Christian YA author Courtney M. Whitaker to the blog today! Courtney’s first novel, Faith Under Pressure, released in July (hip hip hooray!), and she’s in the throes of grad school and another writing project, so I’m glad she made time for an interview 🙂 LB: In Faith Under Pressure, lifelong missionary kid Katie moves […]

Fiction Illuminates Truth – Author Interview with Courtney M. Whitaker — M Liz Boyle

Literacy Lessons for Homeschool

The new school year is just around the corner (or maybe it has already arrived for you).

Are you looking for ways to have your children analyze their favorite books? University of Cincinnati Speech and Hearing Clinic has a YouTube channel that reads books and teaches lessons related to the books.

This here is Little Wolf’s Song by Britta Teckentrup. When you click on the link, it’ll take you to UC’s video where they read the story and teach children synonyms and antonyms of the words in the book.

UC’s Reading of Little Wolf’s Song

Fun Fact: I wrote a review of this book on Jennifer Hallmark’s blog. Check it out on the following link:

Little Wolf’s Song Review

Here is an old Disney book, Peter Pan and Wendy, where UC teaches how to compare and differentiate the characters.

UC’s Reading of Peter Pan and Wendy

For more homeschooling curriculum ideas, check out my post on K.A. Cummins’ teaching materials. Happy New School Year, everyone!

Teacher/Homeschooler Materials

The Importance of Fiction in a Christian’s Life by Teen Writers’ Nook — M Liz Boyle

Is your teen a reader? If so, awesome! This post, re-blogged from M Liz Boyle’s blog, shows the benefits a teen can gain from reading.

This post is also a reminder for us writers to incorporate these benefits into our stories.

Today I have the privilege of introducing Teen Writers’ Nook to the blog. Let’s see what these creative sisters have to say about the importance of fiction in a Christian’s life! Heya, readers!! Huge shout out to Liz for letting us borrow her blog for this post!! We’re SUPER excited to be here. So who […]

The Importance of Fiction in a Christian’s Life by Teen Writers’ Nook — M Liz Boyle