As all the 'best books of 2021' lists begin to storm the internet and various other media channels, I decided that it was time the Your Kid's Next Read community got in on the action. So I challenged our members to help me create The Ultimate Your Kid's Next Read Best...
Useful writing tips are not that easy to come by. There's a lot of 'read widely' and 'write lots' in the writing advice given out – and for good reason. Those two tips are the cornerstone of any writer's career. But when it comes to the nitty gritty, the really useful...
When it comes to picture books, Australia's multicultural nature hasn't always been easy to find. Fortunately, things are changing, with more culturally diverse picture books being published. One author who is part of that welcome renaissance is Inda Ahmad Zahri, with...
"I’m wondering if there are any books aimed at an 8 year old (autistic child) with preferably with main character that is autistic?" "I have recently started working with children and teens who have been diagnosed with ASD / ADHD / OCD / ODD / Intellectual...
Looking for an extra-special Christmas gift for a young reader? A personally signed novel could be just the thing! In case you missed it, I'm offering signed copies of all A. L. Tait novels – The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher and the Maven & Reeve...
One of the most popular requests in the Your Kid's Next Read community is for YA novels suitable for tweens. Or books for 10-year-olds who want to 'read up'. So much so that Megan Daley and I have already devoted an episode of the Your Kid's Next Read podcast to the...
Having decided it was that time of year – that is, book list time of year – I put my mind to thinking about the Your Kid's Next Read community and the books they were requesting for their kids. Science books, I decided. STEM books for kids of all ages. And then,...
What do you do when a kid won't read? It's a question asked regularly, in various forms, in the Your Kid's Next Read Facebook group, particularly as young readers approach the end of primary school and the beginning of high school. At that point, it seems, the world...
One of the best things that children can do to help develop their creative writing skills is to read – and read widely. By 'read widely', I mean reading beyond their usual favourite kinds of stories and into other areas on the bookshelf, including non-fiction. For...
