Category Archives: Resources

If You Are a Kid Who Writes…

…Here are ten things that might help you became a grown up who writes

1. Do stuff.

Everybody says read books and everybody is right about that, but I’m guessing if you are here you already read books. Don’t forget to do other stuff, too. Get outside. Play. Make music. Grow things. Take stuff apart. Build something interesting. Have friends over. Cook something yummy. Get really dirty. Ride your bike as far as you can. Explore a museum. Put on a show. Learn to do magic. Writers are people who have something to write about.

2. Write lots different of stuff.

It takes a while to find the kind of story you can tell best. The only way to know for sure what you are good at is to try a bunch of things. For example, I really like to read science fiction and fantasy, but I have learned that it is not the kind of story that I’m good at writing. (at least not yet)

3. Find a writing friend

Most writers I know have a few writer friends that they share their work with and turn to when they get discouraged and celebrate with when great things happen. Look around at who else in you school loves to write. Start or join a book club. Ask if there is a Newbery Club or teen writing group at your library. I’d be lost without my pals, so keep looking until you find a kindred spirit. If you have no idea where to find another kid who writes, try asking your teacher or librarian.

4. Save your work.

A file box is good. Put stuff you write on the computer on a thumb drive or cd. Email yourself the file. Parents can be a great help with this part of the process.

5. Listen to the news

Part of being inspired is paying attention to what is happening in the world. So pick a news source you like. It could be a newspaper or the radio or magazines. You might like tv news or a news website. A combination of things is probably best. I get my local paper but I also get a national paper because they have different stories in them. I listen to news on the radio pretty often, and I read some news articles on line. Your social studies teacher might have some good suggestions for local, national, and international news.

6. Be smart about sharing work on line.

A good rule of thumb is not to send a story or anything else to someone you have not met in person. Also remember that once you put something up on the internet it is very public and very difficult to take down. Not that you should never post your work, but talk to your parents and decide on some guidelines for sharing your work over the internet. Your librarian might have some good ideas about safe places to share your writing including local writing festivals and contests.

7. Don’t worry too much about finishing every story you start.

If a story just isn’t working or it’s boring to you. It’s okay to move on to something new. Save the abandoned story because you might want to return to it later. Most authors start many more stories than they finish.

8. Find a good spot for your writing.

A tree house works for me. So does a coffee shop and a park bench, but I also have a spot at home to store my work and keep pencils and journals and my computer and my back up files.

9. Thinking matters.

Some writers write tons of words every day–and then think about it and throw more than half of them away. Other writers think for a long time and write a medium amount of words–and then throw a few of them away. Some think everything out ahead of time; others think things up as they go. All of these methods work. Thinking is the most important part.

10. It’s okay to stop writing if you don’t love it.

Writing well is very hard and being published is even harder. The people who hang in there long enough and work hard enough to get published REALLY love to write–even on the bad days. But if you love books and don’t love writing you might think about teaching or librarianship. Editors, copy editors, booksellers, and publishers are all people who get to work with books all day long without writing them.

Things a Kid Can Do to Support a Military Family

10 Things a Kid Can Do to Help a Friend with a Soldier Parent

1. Have fun! It’s very scary to have a parent serving in a war zone, so whatever things you do for fun, swimming or bowling or going to the movies, keep on doing them with your friend.

2. Be patient with your friend’s moods. Some kids may get angry or sad over little things because of the extra stress. Give them a break. They’re serving our country too.

3. Everybody has extra chores when one parent is gone. When you are over to play, ask if you can do a yard chore or wash the dishes together. It’s way more fun with two.

4. Respect the flag. Most soldiers’ families see the flag as a symbol of all they are sacrificing for our country, so stand up straight and face the flag when our anthem is played. Take off your hat and put your hand over your heart. It seems like a little thing, but it means a lot to military families and veterans, too.

5. Your friend’s biggest fan is far away, so when he makes a great play on the soccer field or has a strong finish in the spelling bee, cheer extra loud, take lots of pictures and let him know that you are proud of him, too.

6. Celebrate holidays together. It’s tricky to celebrate when one parent is gone, so help out if you can. For example, invite your friend to trick or treat with your family, so that the non-soldier parent can be at home passing out candy.

7. If there is a parade or ceremony in your town to honor Veterans’ Day or Memorial Day, show your support by going.

8. Listen if your friend wants to talk about the war. Or be willing to not bring it up if they’d rather not talk about it.

9. Everyone has opinions about this war and this president. Opinions are good, but most military families prefer not to talk about their political views in public while they have a family member at war.

10. Pray. Most military families are people of faith who take great comfort in prayer. If you are a person who prays, tell your friend you are praying for his or her soldier every day.

Bunk House Chess

My family includes many avid chess players and several of my nieces and nephews have belonged to chess clubs. If you are looking for a fast paced and wicked fun variation on traditional chess here’s a game lots of kids love. I’m sure it’s a big hit with Brother and his family when they are up at Cow Camp.

For Bunk House Chess you need 4 players and 2 chess sets.

1. Set up your chess boards side by side like this. It’s important to arrange the white and black chessmen on opposite sides of the board.

2. Your opponent in the game is the person across from you. Your partner is the person beside you.

3. When you capture a chessman from your opponent, you pass it to your partner beside you.

4. On her next turn your partner can either move any of her chessmen on the board as she normally would OR she can take the piece you just gave her and set it on any free square on the board. On her next turn she can move the new chess piece or any of her other pieces as she normally would. Just because she has a captured piece from her partner does not mean she must use it immediately.

5. The first person to get checkmate wins the whole game.

This game can be played with any even number of players. Seat everyone at a long table. Everyone sitting on the same side of the table is on the same team. Each person passes their captured pieces to the person on their left. the player at the left end of the table gives his captured pieces to the player on the right end of the table.

This version of chess is great for a whole chess club to play together or for a rainy day at camp or for a whole bunch of cousins at the holidays.

Companion Reads for Second Fiddle

Here are a few books I’ve found which might make good further reading for fans of Second Fiddle

About the history and politics of the Cold War

The Dog in the Wood by Monika Schroder (Front Street 2009) is a great place to go for kids who wonder why the Wall went up in the first place. It explores the experience of a family in East Germany at the end of the Second World War when Russian forces come to occupy a small farming community. It is honest about the experience of war but not too brutal for a middle grade reader.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (Philomel, 2011) is not a book I recommend lightly. It is the extremely gritty and dark description of the horrors Stalin visited on the citizens of the Baltic Republics. Nonetheless, it illuminates the history my character Arvo comes from. It is a riveting read with glimmers of warmth and hope but it’s not a book for a tender-hearted reader.

Candy Bomber: the story of the Berlin Airlift by Michael O. Tunnell (Charlesbridge, 2010) is a photo illustrated account of the Berlin Airlift. It has a movingly written forward by Lt. Gail S. Halverson, the”chocolate pilot” himself, and lots of good background about how the city of Berlin became divided in the first place.

Countdown by Deb Wiles (Scholastic, 2010) Set in suburban Maryland in 1962, this book is about the preoccupation of the United States with communism and the cold war.

About music

Mozart Season by Virginia Euwer Wolff captures the joy and agony of music competition through a young violinist’s eyes. Virginia is an accomplished chamber music player, and writes about making music with great authority. Any musically-inclined child will feel great kinship with this story.

About military families

Operation Yes by Sara Holmes Lewis is the story of cousins who share the experience of their active duty parants deploying to Iraq. The are both comforted and challenged by a beloved teacher who helps them use improvisational theater techniques to explore their deepest fears and greatest hopes.

Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams is set on a ranch in Nevada with a family of bull riders. It’s about the experience of having a brother return from Iraq injured, and how a whole family learns to heal.

Heart of a Shepherd Toot!! Yes this is my own novel. It’s about the son of a reservist who goes to war in Iraq leaving him to tend the ranch with the help of his parents and grandparents.

Fun girl power adventure stories

The Vanishing Violin by Michael Biel.

This is the second in the Red Blazer Girls mystery series set in a Catholic girls school in New York City. It’s got a great cast of friends who let you solve the puzzles along with them. In this installment, the girls find a rare and valuable violin and form their own rock band.

Discussion Guide (Heart of a Shepherd)

Discussion Guide for Heart of a Shepherd – 3th to 5th grade

Heart of a Shepherd by Roseanne Parry 1. Malheur County Oregon got its name from French trappers in 1825. Malheur (Mal-yer) means misfortune in French. Do you think Brother is lucky or unlucky to live where he does? Would you want to live in his town?

2. In the first chapter, Brother plays chess with his grandpa. Do you think he won that game? What did you learn about him because of the way he played the game?

3. At the end of the first chapter, Brother makes his dad a promise. Does he keep that promise in the end? Does Dad make Brother a promise?

4. In the fourth chapter, the Alderman’s celebrate Christmas. What traditions do they keep the same from year to year? How is the holiday different with Dad in Iraq?

5. At the end of the story Brother learns about “the man he is meant to be.” How did he know that job was a good choice for him? How will you learn about the person you are meant to be?

Discussion Guide for Heart of a Shepherd – 6th to 8th grade

1. Brother is the youngest in his family. In what ways is he typical of a youngest child? He is also the only child still living at home. In what ways is he like an only child? Would Brother make different choices if he were an oldest child?

2. Brother lives many miles from his nearest neighbor. Does that make his life lonely? How is closeness expressed in a community that lives far apart? How is closeness expressed in your community?

3. In the first chapter, Brother does not play by the traditional rules of chess. Why does Grandpa accept his change in the rules? What does the way they play the game together tell you about Brother’s character? What does it tell you about his relationship with Grandpa?

4. In The Man of the House, the family celebrates Christmas. Are there examples of foreshadowing in this chapter?

5. Why do you think Brother’s dad and older brothers chose to become soldiers? What leads Brother to choose a different path? Why did your parents choose the jobs they have? How will you know what vocation to choose for yourself?

Discussion ideas for parent and child book groups

1. When Brother’s dad leaves for Iraq, he doesn’t promise to come back. Is that fair or not fair to his sons? Brother makes a promise to his dad that he can’t keep. Would it be better not to make a promise that isn’t a sure thing? Is it ever a good idea to break a promise?

2. Brother is the youngest in his family. In what ways is he typical of a youngest child? He is also the only child still living at home. In what ways is he like an only child? How does your birth order make a difference in your family?

3. When the Alderman’s celebrate Christmas, what traditions do they keep the same from year to year? How is the holiday different with the dad in Iraq? Which of your family’s holiday traditions do you want to keep forever? Which ones do you think will change over time?

4. In the first chapter, Brother does not play by the traditional rules of chess. What does the way they play the game together tell you about Brother’s character? What does it tell you about his relationship with his grandpa? Does your family have a favorite game? Do you ever change the rules?

5. Why do you think Brother’s dad and older brothers chose to become soldiers? What leads Brother to choose a different vocation? Why did your parents choose the vocations they have? How will you know what vocation to choose for yourself?