Hello, welcome, and thank you! I am beyond chuffed that you are interested in my critical paper/presentation on diction, syntax, and style in middle grade and young adult novels.
Read the Essay [PDF, 25 pages]
Watch the Lecture [YouTube Video, 20 minutes]
View the Presentation Slides [PDF, 72 slides]
Links to Resources
Appendix 2: Further Reading, an Annotated List of Kirkus Stars for Style
Appendix 3: Writer’s Syntax Toolbox
Works Cited
“As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds.” Kirkus, 30 Mar. 2016. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-reynolds/as-brave-as-you
Black, Kathleen. Guide for the Advancing Grammarian: An Exploration of English for Writers and Teachers. Kitelko, 2005.
Billingsley, Franny. The Folk Keeper. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001.
Bowman, Akemi Dawn. Summer Bird Blue. Simon Pulse, 2018.
DiCamillo, Kate. Louisiana’s Way Home. Candlewick Press, 2018.
Glaser, Joseph. Understanding Style: Practical Ways to Improve Your Writing. Oxford University Press, 1999.
Hartman, Rachel. Tess of the Road. Random House, 2018.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, 2010.
Lee, Stacey. Outrun the Moon. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2016.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First Century Guide. Mariner Books, 2015.
Linney, Steve. “The Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.” Readable, 10 May 2019. https://readable.com/blog/the-flesch-reading-ease-and-flesch-kincaid-grade-level
“Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo.” Kirkus, 25 June 2018. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kate-dicamillo/louisianas-way-home
Maass, Donald. Writing the Breakout Novel. Writer’s Digest Books, 2001.
Mafi, Tahereh. Whichwood. Dutton Children’s Books. 2018.
Naiman, David. “A Conversation on Craft with Ursula K. Le Guin.” The Writer’s Chronicle, March 2017. https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_chronicle_view/4249/a_conversation_on_craft_with_ursula_k._le_guin
Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook. Harcourt Brace & Co, 1994.
“Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee.” Kirkus, 17 Feb. 2016. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stacey-lee/outrun-the-moon-lee
Reynolds, Jason. As Brave as You. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016.
Stein, Sol. How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them. St. Martin’s Griffin, 1999.
“Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman.” Kirkus, 18 June 2018. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/akemi-dawn-bowman/summer-bird-blue
Sutherland, John. How to Read a Novel. St. Martin, 2007.
“Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman.” Kirkus, 28 Oct. 2017. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rachel-hartman/tess-of-the-road
“Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi.” Kirkus, 27 Aug. 2017. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tahereh-mafi/whichwood
Willard, Lara. “Overused Words You Should and Shouldn’t Delete.” Lara Willard, 17 November 2015. https://larawillard.com/2015/11/17/words-to-delete/