My Weird Writing Tips

by Dan Gutman

Overview

The ability to put thoughts into writing is an essential skill vital to success in school—from elementary school through college. Bestselling author Dan Gutman helps kids master this important skill with his fun, informative writing guide, My Weird Writing Tips.
 
Dan offers tricks for spelling hard words, understanding the difference between similar words like “its” and “it’s,” and conquering grammar stumbling blocks like commas and apostrophes. He also teaches readers how to write an engaging story, in line with the grades 2–5 Common Core goals for writing a narrative.
 
With illustrated appearances from A.J. and Andrea, stars of his bestselling My Weird School series, and with his trademark wacky sense of humor, Dan makes learning the writing and storytelling basics so fun kids will forget they’re learning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062091062
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	06/25/2013
Series:	My Weird School Series
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.34(w) x 7.54(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dan Gutman is the author of many books for children, including the My Weird School series, the Baseball Card Adventure series, and the New York Times bestselling Genius Files series. Thanks to his many fans who voted in their classrooms, he has received nineteen state book awards and ninety-two state book award nominations. Dan lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey, with his wife, Nina.

Jim Paillot lives in Arizona (another weird place) with his weird wife and two weird children. Isn’t that weird?

Editorial Reviews

Facing off against the convention wisdom among some that “CUL8R is the same as see you later” and that “Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are boring,” Gutman provides compelling evidence why those kids should change their thinking: “You sound like a dumbhead.” With help from Andrea and A.J., two characters from his My Weird School series, Gutman walks readers through the basics of writing and revising stories (“Move it along. Get to the point. You don’t want your readers to die from old age while they’re reading your story”), before moving on to common grammatical pitfalls and spelling woes. With pitch-perfect humor and forthright, no-nonsense encouragement, it’s an ideal writing and grammar guide for kids who typically wouldn’t touch one with a 10-foot poll. Er, pole. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Liza Pulitzer Voges, Eden Street Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

09/01/2013
Gr 3–6—With the help of his characters Arlo, Emily, and Andrea, Gutman makes grammar entertaining. However, his introduction is immediately off-putting as he states that anyone who regularly uses bad grammar sounds like a "dumbhead." In a school environment where students juggle two or more languages, along with the other aches and pains of growing up, calling someone a "dumbhead" for not using proper grammar is unacceptable. Gutman fills the book with helpful information, including how to start writing a short story, how to organize research for nonfiction writing, and how to master confusing words like "their, they're, there." The book is readable, with kid-friendly language and valid suggestions and tricks. Perhaps teachers could use excerpts, rather than handing students the book itself.—Sarah Knutson, American Canyon Middle School, CA

School Library Journal

Practical advice on writing from a best-selling author. Hoping to counter the texting culture with an upbeat volume on how to write well and why to care about good grammar and clear writing, Gutman draws on his own career in writing, especially his My Weird School series. Though disingenuous at times and too self-consciously fun, the little guide does impart important advice in a straightforward manner. Short chapters and cartoonish illustrations keep the lessons light, covering such essentials as the importance of paragraphing, cutting unnecessary adjectives, using a dictionary, proofreading and structuring longer pieces. To students who think being illiterate is cool and that spelling, grammar and punctuation are boring--that sentences like "The girls's lined up in sise order" are just fine--Gutman says, "Sounding like a dumbhead isn't cool." This junior version of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style may just help young writers "trim the fat" and learn to care about even small issues such as "Who or Whom?" and "Me or I?" The handy guide concludes with the one tip that will improve students' writing more than any other: "If you want to be a better writer, read everything you can get your hands on. Read like crazy!" A user-friendly guide to writing that just might make a difference. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews