Orphan Island

I’m in the middle of reading Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder, and if you write for young people, I highly recommend reading it. (Even if you don’t write for young people, it’s a fascinating book!)

The thing I am most taking from my journey through this novel is voice. Snyder does an impeccable job of maintaining each character’s voice as they navigate new relationships, responsibilities, and questions in their island world. Of course, the plot is what carries this novel through, but as a writer, I really appreciate how she has paid attention to the way a middle-school-aged kid would think, act, and talk — how groups of these kids ranging in age from (I’m guessing) 3 to 13 would relate to the world around them and to each other.

She definitely has hung out with or spent some considerable time around kids.

One of my favorite things about reading books from the upper elementary- to the high-school section of the library is these books’ ability to bring creative narratives into the light. So often, as we “mature” and become adults, novel storylines also evolve with too many adult themes: These range from dark, scary, murder, and crime mysteries to stories of broken relationships or detailed romance. Gone are the days of other worlds.

Of course, you have exceptions. But by and large, I get less and less enjoyment from the regular novels on my TBR list than I do from the middle-grade ones.

Maybe it’s because I have kids, or because I homeschool, or because I work around kids much of the time. Or maybe it’s just that I love a good villain, a race, a world that must be restored, or a time that needs to be brought back into full view. (Historical fiction gets a little too boring as it grows up, but the middle-grade ones? Awesome.)

If you write, you’ve been told (a million times) to read.

I’m here to add a little bit more: If you write, don’t just read. Read widely. Including kids’ books — even if your kids are grown. Picture books, chapter books, middle-grade fantasies, young adult fiction… it all has the power to transform how we create.

If it’s been a while, go browse the children’s or teen section of your local library. The covers will tantalize you into their worlds and before you know it, you’ll be hooked (again? for the first time?).