PICTURE BOOKS

MIDDLE GRADE

YOUNG ADULT

author:

Jen Jobart

craft review by Jen Jobart I write books for kids because I want to remind them that they are powerful. That they can work together for the greater good. That they can change the world. Kids can be inspired by those types of themes, but only if they’re woven into a novel that they can’t put down. […]

by Jen Jobart Here’s a first taste of our curated retrospective. First posted in December 2018, Jen’s post recommends some great listening to get your craft juices flowing. We invite you to read, and then listen. –Anne-Marie Like everyone else these days, I keep busy.  I don’t currently have a paying job, but I’m the […]

craft review by Jen Jobart Kids do a lot of growing up from ages 8-12. Books are meant to grow with them and inspire them along their journey. A lot of middle grade books have a protagonist whose character arc moves towards independence over the course of the book. The middle grade novel Bob is […]

by Jen Jobart Like everyone else these days, I keep busy.  I don’t currently have a paying job, but I’m the primary caretaker for two kids – one who I homeschool, and one who goes to a parent participation school, where I teach writing to my son’s fellow fourth graders.  Someone literally always needs something […]

craft review by Jen Jobart Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is the story of a girl who must embrace her otherness in order to save the world. Sunny, who recently moved from the US to Nigeria, is struggling to fit in. Her albino skin makes her “other” in her new community.  Then she makes a […]

craft review by Jen Jobart In Chapter 6 of his book The Anatomy of Story, John Truby talks about building a story world that reinforces the story you’re telling.  Jessica Townsend’s book Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is a great case study for how to do this. Nevermoor is the story of Morrigan Crow, […]

craft post by Jen Jobart The Worldbuilding chapter of the John Truby’s book The Anatomy of Story was the culmination of several things that help me to realize that there are a finite number of stories that can be written.  There are endless ways to write those stories, but we humans are all the same […]

by Jen Jobart BayCon is an annual California Bay Area fantasy conference for writers, artists, and fans.  I attended the conference as a writer of middle grade fantasy. I had a lot of fun and had many opportunities to talk about and learn new things in the company of other creative people.  BayCon was my […]

craft review by Jen Jobart One of the reasons that Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman is such an intriguing read is that its cast of engaging characters expresses common archetypes–the character roles that universally populate stories. Bertram’s novel follows twelve-year-old Emily, new to San Francisco, as she follows clues in a mysterious book that […]

by Jen Jobart Sometimes one book just isn’t enough. Sometimes kids want to spend more time with characters they love, or in a world they find intriguing.  And sometimes, for writers, one book just isn’t enough to tell the story we want to tell. That’s where series come in. You have two options when writing […]