Book of the Month: Brave the Page

It is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and I thought it would be a fitting idea to make Brave the Page my Book of the Month. 

Summary: Partly a how-to guide on the nitty-gritty of writing, partly a collection of inspiration to set (and meet) ambitious goals, Brave the Page is the go-to resource for middle-grade writers.

Ages: 10 and up

"Warning: Following the advice in this book will lead you toward achieving big things. You'll write more-and faster- than you've ever written before."

NaNoWriMo Presents Brave the Page: A Young Writer's Guide to Telling Epic Stories is one of the best writing books that was published this year. This book is perfect for a young writer that wants to start writing but doesn't know where to begin. 

I am a big stickler for how non-fiction books are formatted and this book was put together in perfect and simplistic order. I also liked the tone of the book because it comes across as down-to-earth and friendly. 

The book starts off by recognizing the hard work in writing and gives clear points on why the reader should write and how this book will help. 

This is such a well-rounded book for the young writer with tips on how to find story ideas, make a writing deadline, set writing goals, and create a routine so that your writing becomes consistent. 

I also think the writing challenges in the book are extremely helpful and how following the book will set up any writer, young or old, for future success. 

This book is geared to help children find out what type of writer they are and provides writing quests and examples that will ease them into their writing. There's even a progress tracker by weeks and a writing pledge that can be used, along with quick starters and other writing tools. 

Once writers are ready to revise and edit their work, there's a chapter on that too. 

I would like to see more information for children on how to publish their writing, but perhaps that could be NaNoWriMo's next book for children. 

I plan on doing a short book-talk on Brave the Page during one of my upcoming writing programs.