Recently, an editor suggested one of my stories could make a good chapter book and recommended Kate Dicamillo's books as a good model.

I have never written in this genre so I read Dicamillo’s Mercy Watson.

This is what I learned:

Hi Tim.
My favorite book is Rapunzel, because she has long golden hair and also there was a witch and at the end Rapunzel married the prince.

International Reader #3

Sandwiched between Old Europe and Russia, Ukraine has its own version of Pinocchio to tell.
The Golden Key or The Buratino Stories from O. M. Tolstoy.

American kids love their books for story time or on their own.
Here is a list of readers and their favourites.

Parents and children from around the world share their favorite books.

Hope you find a new title, a new author and, of course, amazing stories to read day or night, at the beach or in bed. Enjoy and keep reading.

Here are new words to stimulate your imagination.

You can read your story umpteen gajillion times and still you will find mistakes: A missing period. A questionable article. A line of stitled dialogue.

As I have been working with an editor, I realized, there is always something to improve in a story.

Making mistakes.

Before I submit my writing, I check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Then, I print a copy and check spacing, character font and size. After I finish, I give the story to my editor friend and she checks it.

I don’t want to make amateur mistakes and risk my chances with an agent or publisher.

But, last week, the worst happened.

Robert likes the three investigators, a detective series about three boys who solve crimes and talk to Alfred Hitchcock.

You can't stop reading a good book.

In the August 2013, the Write Life blog published an article about the proper number of agents to query. In this article, Chuck Sambuchino advises only 6 -8 agents. If you are rejected, it means the writer’s query needs revising. After submitting to your next group, if you are rejected, you need to revise your manuscript.

This Christmas, give a a book to a child.

Possible Book ideas:

is terrible. Real or imaginary, it doesn’t matter. It makes us hide under the covers at night. It stops us from leaving our apartment. A monster will grab us. Something bad will definitely happen. For new writers, they have lots of monster fears. Working with new editors is one of them. Will they be gentle with their criticism? Will they be harsh? Will they get it?

Dressed up animals don’t sound fun, but Sandra Boynton’s Blue Hat, Green Hat is a wonderfully silly story for kids.

Doll Bones by Holly Black is a story about three friends, Zach, Alice, and Poppy, who create a role playing game together with action figures and paper cut outs. Their heroes embark on fantastic adventures of pirates and monsters. When Zach’s dad destroys his action figures, the young boy can’t bring himself to tell his friends. So, he lies and quits playing with his friends. Later, Poppy tells him about a dream. A ghost resides in the Red Queen doll and gives her an ultimatum: bury the doll or face the consequences! This is how their ghost quest begins.

Reading a scary book is a must at Halloween. Dahl and Bradbury were my favorites as a kid. But, recently, I’ve discovered other authors like Patrick Ness and Stephen Cosgrove.

This summer, I worked with an editor to improve my query. The first paragraph is called a hook, which draws the interest of your reader-an agent or publisher. Below are my first and final drafts of my hook. See if you can notice any differences.

Dear Kate,
Thank you for Paul Jennings' The Reading Bug. I love it as a parent and a children’s book writer.

Brom's The Child Thief is a scary and disturbing reinvention of J.M. Barrie's tale.
Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Lost Boys, and Neverland still exist, but with new twists and surprises await between the pages.

Only one more month of summer, so many books, so little time. Enjoy.