The Importance of Mastering the Middle Grade

With our upcoming intensive Advanced Writer Weekend: Mastering the Middle Grade coming up, the Writing Barn team is excited to be featuring bestselling author Sara Pennypacker to speak about her experience and advice in the children’s book industry.pax

Sara Pennypacker is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of PAX, a story of friendship, love, loyalty, grief, and adventure. Pennypacker has authored seventeen other children’s books and has received various awards for her work, including a Golden Kite Award and a Christopher’s Medal.

As we prepare for this unique Barn experience, our team is appreciating the importance of children’s literature and the lasting impact these books can create. Pennypacker believes that “books can make a profound difference to a young reader—they can either mirror his experience in a way that says, ‘Look, you’re already a member of the human tribe, Welcome!’ or they can open up a whole different path than the one she’s on.”

3-1We believe in these profound yet equally important differences, too. In a world of ambiguity, often the only certainty of life is the difficulties; we all experience pain, intolerance, and loss in some way. Childhood is the time to strengthen young readers, prepare them for the world, and help them relate to the human experience. Through children’s books, writers are able to ensure future generations that we are in this together—we are not alone.

Join us for Mastering the Middle Grade to learn the importance of making stories memorable and crafting compelling characters to make powerful, lasting children’s stories. It’s not too late to sign up!

Apply here.