J. S. Puller is a playwright and author from the Windy City, Chicago. She has a master’s degree in elementary education and a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Northwestern University. She is an award-winning member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education has done research on the social-emotional benefits of arts education with the […]
Tag Archives | Middle Grade
The Islands of Iros
Fans of fantasy, you’ll love this new middle grade release from Peruvian author, L.M. Bracklow. When three young warriors come together to fight their enemies, magic happens. Not necessarily in the way you might imagine, but rather, unfurling a path of empowerment. When fate brings three young dreamers together at the Nakamur Training Camp, they […]
Writer’s Corner: The Distinction Between Middle Grade and Young Adult Books: And Why It Matters
As writers and readers are quickly learning, there’s a muddiness that’s seeping into distinguishing between middle grade and young adult. It’s not to say that’s a problem, it’s a compliment to the ever maturing and expanding audience of readers and clever writers. It only becomes an issue when submitting it to agents and publishers. And it […]
The Secret Zoo
When Megan Nowicki follows a hunch that something special is happing at the Clarksville City Zoo, she takes off to investigate. Spying a group of monkeys that looked like they’d escaped she rushes back to get her brother, Noah, but by the time they return to where she’d seen them, they were gone. Megan can’t […]
Sit, Stay, Love
Cecilia Murray’s favorite place to be is helping out at her local dog shelter, which scratches the itch for a pet that she’s not allowed to have at home. Then when a little pug is brought into the shelter, Cecilia falls in love. This little dog, she names Potato, doesn’t last long at the shelter. […]
Hail, Hail Camp Timberwood
Here’s a coming of age teen romance that has survived the test of time. Written in 1978, this book by Ellen Conford can be found in just about every library but otherwise it’s hard to find. Thirteen-year-old Melanie Kessler is begrudgingly starting summer camp. An only child, she’s not keen on leaving her parents and […]
A Very Brand New Day
Rich Trout is starting his first day as a seventh grader at his new junior high. Being the new kid at school can be scary for any student, but he just wants to fit in and be like any average kid his age. But Rich isn’t average. He’s a wiz at algebra, has a photographic […]