Have you ever read a book and said, “Yeah, that’s how it’s done.” Or, “Right on, brother. I here ya’.” Ah, what a feeling. It’s like a t-shirt fresh out of the dryer: Comfy and cozy. I’ve learned a whole mess of awesome stuff from the “Giants” in the field of kid writing. You know, the specialists: Lane, Graves, Fletcher, just to name a few. Here are a few of my favorites. And no, your eyes are not failing. King and White do appear on this list. “The School Essay Manifesto” T. Newkirk “Hooked on Meaning” B. Lane “What a Writer Needs” R. Fletcher “The Elements of Style” W. Strunk and E.B. White “The Nine Rights of Every Writer” V. Spandell “On Writing” S. King “A Fresh look at Writing” D. Graves “Writing with Passion” T. Romano “Boy Writers” R. Fletcher “Misreading Masculinity” T. Newkirk “How’s it Going? C. Anderson
 
Stephen King, in his book, “On Writing,” puts it bluntly: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no short cut.” Well, I guess Uncle Stevie is on to something here. He’s only sold like a kabillion books, right? We all have our gems, but I’ve got the mic, it’s my turn. And here they are: “Spiderwick Chronicles” H. Black “Little Fur Series” I. Carmody “The Monsters Ring” B. Coville “How to Be a Pirate” C. Cowell “The BFG” R. Dahl “The Amulet of Samarkand” J. Stroud “The Hobbit” J.R.R. Tolkien “Lawn Boy” G. Paulsen “Weird School Series” D. Gutman “Franny K. Stein Series” J. Benton Reader