My kids just demanded that I read them Mr. Bambuckle's Remarkables. It's about as middle grade as you can get, and very funny. Anyway, it's about this teacher who is a magician who starts teaching a classful of kids who never had agency in their lives. The kids start telling stories of how the things the teacher taught helped them. The very first story is about a haunted washing machine in the basement that keeps trying to eat the heroine. It was scary and funny at the same time, and the washing machine's defeat was hilarious. The rest of the stories are about things like dealing with embarrassing parents (rent new parents who won't embarrass you with the hot new app ParentalRental!) or winning a drone race. We laughed all the way through it. But the washing machine story was very much Goosebumps-style horror. None of the kids had a problem with it, except to cheer when the washing machine was defeated. Kids like a little bit of horror. Dave Farland talked a lot about this in his newsletters. https://mystorydoctor.com/writing-the-all-time-bestselling-novel/
A favourite memory of mine is a night my sister and I were being read a bedtime story.
It was a story about a girl with a ribbon around her neck. I'm sure many of you are familiar.
I loved it. My sister was terrified. It was time for bed, but we couldn't let our parents sleep until they'd finished the story.
We had to know what happened next!
The idea of what is and isn't appropriate for different ages is an interesting topic.
I'm running a fiction writing contest for boys aged 13-18. I've made it entirely censorship free.
Life isn't age appropriate. Children of all ages have of seriously deep thoughts.
We don't want to traumatise them, but allowing them to explore mature themes within the safety of fiction will help them understand themselves and mature.
I think it's a case of simplifying themes so they can be fully understood. But without dumbing down or hiding the themes from them all together.
Love this!
I've never understood the appeal of ... well... any horror, but this perspective is one I can truly understand and appreciate. Thank you for sharing.
A great article and a cool book concept.
My kids just demanded that I read them Mr. Bambuckle's Remarkables. It's about as middle grade as you can get, and very funny. Anyway, it's about this teacher who is a magician who starts teaching a classful of kids who never had agency in their lives. The kids start telling stories of how the things the teacher taught helped them. The very first story is about a haunted washing machine in the basement that keeps trying to eat the heroine. It was scary and funny at the same time, and the washing machine's defeat was hilarious. The rest of the stories are about things like dealing with embarrassing parents (rent new parents who won't embarrass you with the hot new app ParentalRental!) or winning a drone race. We laughed all the way through it. But the washing machine story was very much Goosebumps-style horror. None of the kids had a problem with it, except to cheer when the washing machine was defeated. Kids like a little bit of horror. Dave Farland talked a lot about this in his newsletters. https://mystorydoctor.com/writing-the-all-time-bestselling-novel/
A favourite memory of mine is a night my sister and I were being read a bedtime story.
It was a story about a girl with a ribbon around her neck. I'm sure many of you are familiar.
I loved it. My sister was terrified. It was time for bed, but we couldn't let our parents sleep until they'd finished the story.
We had to know what happened next!
The idea of what is and isn't appropriate for different ages is an interesting topic.
I'm running a fiction writing contest for boys aged 13-18. I've made it entirely censorship free.
Life isn't age appropriate. Children of all ages have of seriously deep thoughts.
We don't want to traumatise them, but allowing them to explore mature themes within the safety of fiction will help them understand themselves and mature.
I think it's a case of simplifying themes so they can be fully understood. But without dumbing down or hiding the themes from them all together.