A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

December’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections celebrate the power of family and friendship and provide shiny opportunities to explore in dynamic new ways:

• writing,
• mechanics,
• and literary devices. 

And this month’s Quill takes you on an exciting ride exploring modes of transportation, while also nurturing your child’s early reading, writing, and math skills.

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

Cars! Boats! Trains! Oh, my! Get ready to move with the December Quill: Transportation!

In this Quill we’ll size up books as we explore book anatomy; label pieces and parts; get a move on to memorize as we develop gross motor skills; train fine motor skills with tracing; keep track with counting; and see how one thing is not like another as we compare and contrast.

NOTE: You can use any transportation picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

• Choo Choo: The Story of a Little Engine Who Ran Away by Virginia Lee Burton
• My First Day by Phùng Nguyên Quang & Huỳnh Kim Liên 
• Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan, illustrated by Mercè López
• DK Smithsonian Our World in Pictures: Cars, Trains, Ships & Planes by Clive Gifford
• Stephen Biesty’s Incredible Cross-Sections by Stephen Biesty 
• The Amazing History of Transportation: Machines in Motion by Tom Jackson

Get the Quill.

The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el

Meet Duane, a lovable polar bear who finds friends and adventure wherever he goes!

Our story’s narrator this month has big opinions and can’t wait to share them with you! What a perfect way to demonstrate the role of the intrusive narrator, this month’s literary device!

We’ll also: 

• wiggle our way through a look at verbs describing the ways animals move;
• encounter a passage that uses repetition again, and again, and again (to great effect);
• savor some lyrical language;
• ponder the delights of personification;
• split up parts of a sentence and make lists with semicolons; 
• consider a cornucopia of color names, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

This heartwarming story of three siblings evacuated from London to live in the countryside during World War II is a feel-good story—a perfect family read aloud.

December’s literary device is genre. Find out what makes historical fiction unique and explore which genres your family especially enjoys!

We’ll also: 

• capture conjunctions and cling or string ideas together;
• show respect with honorifics;
• search for short sentences and some long ones too;
• slide suffixes in at the end;
• discuss the ins and outs of dialogue;
• catch commas carrying out all sorts of jobs; and so much more!  

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

This look at a teen girl navigating Deaf culture, high school, and relationship struggles is sure to spark Big Juicy Conversation in your home.

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

• contemplate how conflict is constructed;
• provide background details about narrative exposition;
• get acquainted with character development;
• wait and wait to find out about suspense;
• chat about colloquial expressions with y’all; 
• enjoy an aha moment with an exhilarating epiphany and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.

November’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections feature unexpected heroes who, against all odds, use their special talents to rise and save the day!

And this month’s Quill invites you to explore the wild world of animals from the cozy comfort of your home while nurturing your child’s early reading, handwriting, and math skills.

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

Great ready to ROAR and GROWLLLL your way into fall with November’s Quill: Wild Animals.

In this Quill we’ll dig into fantastic facts found in nonfiction books as we explore boxes, glossaries, and more; play with awesome adjectives as we craft a creature and name it; Hissssss. . . Caw. Grrrrrowl. ROAR! with onomatopoeia; put numbers in their places and hunt for them in the wild; stare at staggering statistics and make up some of our own; and pull out our rulers to make critter comparisons from the largest to the smallest and everything in between! 

NOTE: You can use any animal-themed picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some Suggestions:

• A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long
• Born to Be Wild: How Baby Animals Survive and Thrive by DK Publishing
• Eye Spy: Wild Ways Animals See the World by Guillaume Duprat
• Crowbar: The Smartest Bird in the World by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Wendell Minor
• Dear Wandering Wildebeest and Other Poems from the Watering Hole by Irene Latham, Illustrated by Anna Wadham 
• The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale by Jan Brett (and other Jan Brett books) 

Get the Quill.

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan 

Find out if Solimar can save her kingdom and the future of the monarchs from a greedy king! This page turner weaves themes of family, courage, and perseverance in ways your children won’t soon forget!

Your child will feel as bright as a button this month when they explore similes as a literary device.

We’ll also: 

• make noise with onomatopoeia,
• meet the handy-dandy hyphen,
• dig into dialogue,
• admire alliteration,
• ponder a powerful symbol,
• link phrases with conjunctions, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith

You’ll see Peter Pan like you’ve never seen him before when you read this imaginative twist on a beloved classic.

The Literary Device is breaking the fourth wall. Find out what happens when writers use this technique to transport readers into the story. 

We’ll also: 

• hoot and howl over onomatopoeia;
• realize what retellings reveal; 
• discover the power of descriptive details; 
• boldly behold adverbs;
• chat about dialogue punctuation;
• ponder personification, and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac

This novel is the story of a sixteen-year-old Navajo code talker who played an important role in facilitating vital US military communications during World War II.

In this Boomerang we’ll:

• sink deep into symbolism;
• crack the code and appreciate anecdotes;
• enlighten with analogies;
• note names and nicknames galore;
• connect with conditional statements;
• play on words with puns, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.

This month’s Quill is all about Art! Infuse your child’s day with a burst of color and a dash of design as you explore familiar concepts from a fresh new angle!

And October’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections inspire dynamic discussions. Use these stories to dig deep and examine topical issues while you explore:

• writing,
• mechanics,
• and literary devices together! 

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

In this Quill, we’ll get wordy with as we read artwork through shapes, see art styles come to life through a thematic art study, tell a new story through art edits, bring silent subjects to life with captions, tickle our imaginations with tessellations and tangrams, and play with scale and proportion!

NOTE: You can use any art-themed picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some Suggestions:

• A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
• The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean by Dean Robbins, illustrated by Sean Rubin
• Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Sasaki
• Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts 
• I Spy Shapes in Art and other books by Lucy Micklethwait
• Art Lab for Kids by Susan Schwake (activity book)

Get the Quill.

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliot

You won’t believe what happens if you a let a dragon out of a bag and feed it sweet treats.

It’s time to “let the cat out of the bag.” We’re about to “spill the beans!” You guessed it, this month’s Literary Device is the idiom!

We’ll also:

• investigate writer’s craft,
• poke around some prepositions,
• assemble question marks for a game of Twenty Questions,
• unpack the power of a particular prefix,
• inject excitement into our writing with interjections (oh boy!),
• eyeball the em dash, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

Loyalty by Avi

Explore the American Revolution from a fresh new perspective!

The Literary Device is imagery. Explore the wondrous ways words paint pictures that we see, smell, hear, taste, and touch! 

We’ll also:

• dabble in dialogue punctuation,
• step back in time to highlight historical context,
• explore our interest in possessive adjectives,
• count on an opportunity to discuss writing numbers,
• wait for it—entertain the em dash,
• show you dazzling descriptive verbs, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga

This powerful novel affirms the ways deep friendships provide strength to help us navigate the most difficult of times.

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

• examine epistolary writing down to the letter,
• consider characterization and ponder point of view,
• dissect dialogue,
• spice things up with specific details,
• tackle titles,
• notice the narrative arc and the emotional arc, and much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.

September is a fresh start—a chance to make new family memories.

Are you ready to laugh? This month’s Quill is all about Riddles and Jokes!

September’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang are stories that celebrate the beauty of connection with:

• nature,
• family,
• and friends.

Immerse yourself in these dynamic stories of courage and perseverance while your family explores writing, mechanics, and literary devices in brand new ways! 

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

In this Quill we’ll get wordy with wordplay—exploring how puns, slang, homonyms, and homophones make jokes work; examine book brains, also known as the table of contents; hunt for letters in the wild as we explore fonts; hone comedic timing by telling jokes; collect favorite funnies in a joke book; and play with patterns in jokes and beyond! 

NOTE: You can use any joke-themed picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

• Eight Ate: A Feast of Homonym Riddles by Marvin Terban
• Fun Jokes for Funny Kids! by Reader’s Digest 
• Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On by Winters, Sherritt-Fleming, and Collins (poem: “Pattern Rock!”) 
• Riddles by Pam Rosenberg 
• Riddles and Trick Questions for Kids and Family! by Puzzleland
• So Imagine Me: Nature Riddles in Poetry by Lynn Davies 

Get the Quill.

Willodeen by Katherine Applegate

A timely and timeless tale about our fragile earth, and one girl’s fierce determination to make a difference.

The Literary Device is Descriptive Language, a tool that makes moments in a story feel real.

We’ll also: 

• collapse words into contractions,
• examine end marks,
• find out why dilly bugs and peacock snails are compound nouns,
• take note of a commanding colon,
• spy several scent-ilating similes,
• use a robust set of tools to describe some magical creatures, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. When Reha finds out that her mom is sick, she is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter if it means saving her mom’s life.

The Literary Device is Allusion. LaRocca leans heavily on this device, repeatedly referring to popular music from the 1980s to help us hear this story unfold.

We’ll also: 

• notice and name the elements of a novel in verse,
• see why metaphors are often the apple of an author’s eye,
• practice personification,
• read one-word sentences and ponder their power,
• examine epistolary writing down to the letter,
• learn the story behind the story with help from the author’s note, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger’s Apprentice, Book One) by John Flanagan

The Rangers have always scared him in the past—with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. Now, our 15-year-old protagonist, always small for his age, has been chosen as their apprentice. He will soon find out that they are the protectors of the kingdom.

In this Boomerang we’ll:

• ponder shifting perspectives and point of view,
• brood over the backstory and forecast the future with foreshadowing,
• glance at graphic design choices,
• linger with ellipses,
• analyze archetypes and flutter through the fantasy fiction genre,
• dissect storytelling in dialogue, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.

August is ripe with opportunities for adventure, enchantment, and discovery.

This month’s Quill reveals the wonders of wordless picture books. August’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang will transport you back in time.

Take a ride on the pages of this month’s stories to visit:

• a medieval setting,
• the mountains of Maine during the Great Depression,
• and boarding school in 1968.

Read all about it as you and your family explore writing mechanics and literary devices in meaningful new ways.

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

Wordless Picture Books

In this Quill we’ll inquire about cover art and discover that books have anatomy; put words into action to develop vocabulary; play with pens and paper to engage with the symbols of writing; wallow in quantities to make numbers meaningful; and go on a shape hunt and have big juicy conversations about the shapes we see and what they mean. 

NOTE: You can use any wordless picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

• Brave Molly by Brooke Boynton-Hughes
• The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee
• Field Trip to the Moon by John Hare
• Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
• The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett
• Hike by Pete Oswald 
• I Got it! by David Wiesner
• I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët

Get the Quill.

The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo

In a time of war, a mysterious child appears at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. Gentle Brother Edik finds the girl, Beatryce, curled in a stall, wracked with fever, coated in dirt and blood, and holding fast to the ear of Answelica the goat. As the monk nurses Beatryce to health, he uncovers her dangerous secret, one that imperils them all—for the king of the land seeks just such a girl, and Brother Edik, who penned the prophecy himself, knows why.

The Literary Device in this Dart is Foreshadowing. 

We’ll also: 

• marvel at metaphors,
• launch an avalanche of adjectives,
• go on a proper noun scavenger hunt,
• time-travel with verb tense,
• imagine a world without nouns, 
• ponder paragraphs, and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

A story for dog lovers—and nature lovers. Our protagonist found more freedom, a new strength, and a love of the natural world after her family lost almost everything in the big financial crash, and moved to the mountains. An accident has left her father in a coma, and she is determined to try anything—even sting him with bees—to get him to wake up!

The Literary Device in this Arrow is Suspense.

We’ll also: 

• announce: colons,
• cut to the chase with short paragraphs,
• look up, down, and all around for prepositions,
• have a good, good time playing with repetition,
• talk all about dialogue,
• notice nouns and all that they can do, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.

Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt

Following the death of her closest friend in the summer of 1968, our protagonist goes off to St. Elene’s Preparatory Academy for Girls, where she struggles to navigate the boarding school’s traditions. In a parallel story, a boy has wound up on the Maine coast near St. Elene’s with a pillowcase full of money and a past that has him constantly looking over his shoulder. Both young people gradually dispel their loneliness, finding a way to be hopeful and also finding each other.

In this Boomerang, we’ll: 

• probe point of view,
• admire allusions,
• bask in bold writing choices,
• dig into dialogue,
• survey a script,
• wade into worldbuilding, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.

For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.