NONFICTION

My Weird Writing Tips

by Dan GUTMAN
illus. by Jim Paillot. 160p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209107-9; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209106-2. LC 2012029985.
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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
Reviewed by Sarah Knutson , Sep 01, 2013

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