A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

What a year it’s been! Amidst toilet paper shortages, physical distancing, cancelled outings, and some heartache books have been a soothing balm.

And wow have you been reading! We’ve loved every report from our Brave Writer families. Each story shared of a Big Juicy Conversation, successful book-related project, consuming deep dive, or hearty “aha” moment has warmed our hearts and inspired our work. We’re grateful to you. Keep sharing these moments—we read and savor each one!

Now, with the new year just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to start thinking about the family reads ahead. 

To help you plan, we’ve pulled together a list of our 2020 Fan Favorites—a sampling of the Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang guides our families rave most about! (Yes, the list includes every Dart available because, goodness, those issues have been showered in praise!) 

While reading great books, these popular literature singles help you explore, experience, and explain:

• grammar,
• punctuation,
• spelling,
• literary analysis (Boomerang),
• and literary devices.

Enjoy!

Darts

• Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
• The Prairie Thief (Melissa Wiley)
• Finn Family Moomintroll (Tove Jansson)
• The House at Pooh Corner (A.A. Milne)
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Beverly Cleary)

Arrows

• The Wild Robot Escapes (Peter Brown)
• The One and Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate)
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Robert C. O’Brien)
• Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer)
• Because of Winn-Dixie (Kate DiCamillo)

Boomerangs

• The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
• The Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan)
• Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
• Animal Farm (George Orwell)
• Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)

Adventures are to be had this month in the Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang issues!

As we explore the grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices that make stories move, we’ll experience a mouse-eyed view of the world, tag along while a mystery is solved, and learn why there’s no place like home.

[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!]

The Mouse and the Motorcycle,  Beverly Cleary

In this imaginative adventure from Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary, a young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcycle check in to the Mountain View Inn.  ~Amazon

Get the Dart.

Purchase the novel here.

Greenglass House, Kate Milford.

It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves. ~Amazon

Get the Arrow.

Purchase the novel here.

The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum.

When Dorothy and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansas farmhouse are suddenly transported to Oz, where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule. Desperate to return home, and with the Wicked Witch of the West on their trail, Dorothy and Toto — together with new friends the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and cowardly Lion — embark on a fantastic quest along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. There they hope to meet the legendary, all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who alone may hold the power to grant their every wish. ~Amazon

Get the Boomerang.

Purchase the novel here.

Our Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang guides pair living literature with lively lessons to help make mundane writing mechanics come alive. And our October book selections promise adventure and lots of fuel for Big Juicy Conversations!

This month we’ll travel with a family of Moomintrolls on an exciting adventure; we’ll meet a kid who breaks the mold; we’ll solve the case with a clever detective and his sidekick; and we’ll learn the ins and outs of grammar and punctuation along the way.

[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!]

Finn Family Moomintroll, Tove Jansson

It is spring in the valley and the Moomins are ready for adventure! Moomintroll and his friends Snufkin and Sniff find the Hobgoblin’s top hat, all shiny and new and just waiting to be taken home. They soon realize that his is no ordinary hat; it can turn anything―or anyone―into something else! ~Amazon

Get the Dart.

Purchase the book.

Fish in a Tree, Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in.

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike. ~Amazon

Get the Arrow.

Purchase the book.

The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Excitement! Intrigue! Suspense! Horror!

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialized in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England’s West Country and tells the story of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson investigate the case. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his intended death in “The Final Problem”, and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character’s eventual revival. ~Amazon

Get the Boomerang.

Purchase the book.

What do a train, a hot-air balloon, and a magical creature called a brownie have in common?

If you guessed that they are all featured in the Brave Writer September book selections, you’re right!

While exploring grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices, you can also

• perform perilous stunts with Pearl,
• solve magical mysteries with Louisa,
• or travel home by train with Saroo.

The Brave Writer Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang guides pair living literature with lively lessons to help make mundane writing mechanics come alive.

Act out adjectives, fall over in a fit of giggles over comma usage, and break the “rules” by watching the movie first!

Read. Engage. Connect.

[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!]

The Prairie Thief, Melissa Wiley

Louisa Brody’s life on the Colorado prairie is not at all what she expected. Her dear Pa, accused of thievery, is locked thirty miles away in jail. She’s living with the awful Smirches, her closest neighbors and the very family that accused her Pa of the horrendous crime. And now she’s discovered one very cantankerous—and magical—secret beneath the hazel grove. With her life flipped upside-down, it’s up to Louisa, her sassy friend Jessamine, and that cranky secret to save Pa from a guilty verdict.

Ten bold illustrations from Erwin Madrid accompany seasoned storyteller Melissa Wiley’s vibrant and enchanting tale of life on the prairie—with one magical twist. ~Amazon

Get the Dart.

Purchase the book.

The Nerviest Girl in the World, Melissa Wiley

Pearl lives on a ranch where her chores include collecting eggs and feeding ornery ostriches. She has three older brothers, who don’t coddle her at all. And she knows a thing or two about horses, too.

One day, Pearl’s brothers get cushy jobs doing stunts for this new form of entertainment called “moving pictures.” They’re the Daredevil Donnelly Brothers, a Death-Defying Cowboy Trio. Before she knows it, Pearl has stumbled into being a stunt girl herself—and dreams of becoming a star. The only problem is, her mother has no idea what she’s up to. And let’s just say she wouldn’t be too happy to find out that Pearl’s been jumping out of burning buildings in her spare time. Filled with action, humor, and heart–not to mention those pesky ostriches—The Nerviest Girl in the World introduces a spunky heroine whose adventures will have kids on the edge of their seats and whose sense of humor will have them laughing until the very last line. ~Amazon

Get the Arrow.

Purchase the book.

A Long Way Home: A Memoir, Saroo Brierley

This is the miraculous and triumphant story of Saroo Brierley, a young man who used Google Earth to rediscover his childhood life and home in an incredible journey from India to Australia and back again.

At only five years old, Saroo Brierley got lost on a train in India. Unable to read or write or recall the name of his hometown or even his own last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta before ultimately being transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia.

Despite his gratitude, Brierley always wondered about his origins. Eventually, with the advent of Google Earth, he had the opportunity to look for the needle in a haystack he once called home and pore over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize or mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. One day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for and set off to find his family.

A Long Way Home is a moving, poignant, and inspirational true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds. It celebrates the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: Hope. ~Amazon

Get the Boomerang.

Purchase the book.

Did you miss the Book Reveal Party? Or would you like to watch it again? 

Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered!

Grab your tea and a treat. Pull your kids over to watch with you. Make a list of books you are looking forward to reading next year. 

Watch here!

Pressed for time?

Go directly to the Dart, Arrow and Boomerang pages on our website for the book lists and links to their pages on Amazon.

ETA: We have replaced Cricket in Times Square with The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley for the Dart in September.

What’s included in our year-long language arts programs? 

• The Dart is designed for kids 8-10 years of age.
• The Arrow is for children 11-12 years of age.
• The Boomerang is teens 13-15 years of age.

Each Mechanics and Literature program includes:

• Four expertly selected copywork and dictation passages
• Lively, clearly worded notes about spelling, punctuation, grammar, and literary elements related to the passages
• Discussion of literary craft
• Big Juicy Questions to inspire conversation and writing
• Book Club Party ideas to celebrate the completion of the book and guide
• Guidelines that teach you how to use copywork and dictation to teach the mechanics of writing (Look for the separate guidelines PDF in the after-purchase email from Brave Writer.