Spark

Spark: On Writing for Kids & Young Adults
by Alice Kuipers 
Published by University of Regina Press
Review by Toby A. Welch  
$22.95 ISBN 9781779400222

I must come clean – the title of this book threw me off. Spark: On Writing for Kids & Young Adults. I thought the title meant that this was a book geared for kids and teens who wanted to be writers. But it’s not. It’s for writers of any age who want to write books for children and adolescents. With that cleared up, let’s jump into one of the best books about writing that I’ve ever read! (And as a writer of almost three decades, I have devoured almost every writing book on the market.) 

Canadian powerhouse writer Richard Van Camp said that “Spark is right up there with Stephen King’s On Writing” and I agree 100%. This is a phenomenal book on the craft of writing and it covers so many topics. The first third of the book covers how to write for a younger audience. Kuipers does an overview of writing for young people first and then goes into the specifics of writing picture books, chapter books, and then writing for middle grade and young adult readers. That covered, Kuipers delves into prewriting, finding time and flow, storytelling, character development, scenes and setting, drafting, editing, and other aspects of a writer’s life.

Spark has thirteen chapters and at the end of each chapter you’ll find exercises to practice what the chapter covered, practical tasks to improve your writing skills. There are ten minute and thirty minute exercises for you to do. These are extremely helpful and I encourage you to give them a try. And some of the most valuable content in Spark is found near the end of the book. Places to Go is eighteen pages of recommended reading if you want more info. 

I hope that Kuipers will eventually write a more general book on writing; I would be the first in line to buy it. (Hint, hint, Kuipers if you ever read this review!) She brings such humanity to the topic of writing, a calling that looks easy to outsiders but can be extremely taxing and emotionally exhausting at times. Kuipers doesn’t shy away from the struggles of being a writer: the solitude, the ups and downs of the publication process, writer’s block, and even what to do when your writing confidence takes a dip. 

As with every University of Regina Press publication, this one is top notch. Spark is part of URP’s Writers on Writing Series that offers readers a wide range of books on the writing life. The series aspires to be the opposite of traditional stuffy writing textbooks and Spark pulls that off! 

Whether you are a newbie writer or someone who has been writing since before computers were a thing, you will discover nuggets of wisdom in Spark that will ignite your writing!

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM