Writing Young Adult

Prolific author and story coach Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story structure guide for anyone who wants to write a young adult novel by applying the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of YA fiction. Filled with practical advice, easy-to-follow templates, and "beat sheets" analyzing the structure of popular young adult novels such as Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, and Lois Lowry's The Giver, this book is the ultimate reference for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing their own young adult bestseller.

Do you have a young adult novel idea but are unsure about where to begin? Have you started a novel, only to get stuck? Or perhaps you've completed a first draft, but you want to add the luster of professional writing? Then this audiobook is for you! Featuring lively interplay between authors of young-adult fiction Steve and Dani Alcorn, this engaging narration gives you all the inspiration and tools you need to create a best seller.

Louis is a Trumpeter Swan, but he has no voice. Leaving his wild and beautiful home, he finds a young human friend, Sam Beaver, who helps him learn to read and write. When he returns to the lake, Louis discovers his education isn't enough: the beautiful swan he loves, Serena, can't read his declarations of love, and he can't trumpet them. Louis' resolution to win the swan of his desire launches him on an adventure that will take him far from home and lead where fate and love have a few surprises in store.

More than half a century ago, the naturalist Farley Mowat accepted an assignment to investigate why wolves were killing Arctic caribou. Mowat’s account of the summer he lived in the frozen tundra alone – studying the wolf population and developing a deep affection for these wild creatures (who were no threat to caribou or man) – is today celebrated as a classic of nature writing, at once a tale of remarkable adventure and an indelible record of the myths and magic of wolves.

Young adult fiction is one of the most rewarding careers you can embark on! Young adults feel inspired and excited about the authors whose books they become addicted to! Unlike adults, who have been exposed to so many books that they hardly leave reviews, young adults can latch onto your books for decades, growing up with them and returning again and again to read their favorites from your collection!

In 1994, an idealistic first-year teacher in Long Beach, California, named Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. She had intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. She was met by uncomprehending looks - none of her students had heard of one of the defining moments of the 20th century. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank’s diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding.

When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears.

Interest in the social life of humankind shows that, across time, people are driven by the same needs: food, shelter, safety, and connection. In The Fletcher’s Gambit, Book 2 of The Der Flechtemann Chronicle, Michael and James uncover secrets of 14th-century Germany. Like in Yakov’s Run, injustices and family separations drive the story. These tales reflect our past and present, told to uplift, inspire, and reveal timeless human truths.

If you aren’t suffering, you aren’t creating. Right? Wrong! Writing can and should be joyful, fulfilling… even fun! Applicable to writers in all genres and disciplines—from screenwriters to novelists, journalists to picture book authors, aspiring to many-times published—The Happy Writer is a heartfelt and optimistic guide that will show you the way to a happier writing journey.

These essays recount his adventures alone and with friends, taking listeners through the seasons. In Paulsen’s north country, every expedition is a major one, and often hilarious. Once again Gary Paulsen demonstrates why he is one of America’s most beloved writers, for he shows us fishing and hunting as pleasure, as art, as companionship, and as source of life’s deepest lessons.

Even though I’m around hot football players every afternoon, they are not allowed to date me. If they even come close to flirting, my dad, Coach “The Boss” Davis, makes them run laps around the field until they puke. Not only has he forbidden me to date anyone at all, he’s even made me the football team’s water girl so he can keep tabs on me. What Dad doesn’t know is that I spend every last second of those two blissful hours of practice in the scorching California heat staring at Tyson Blake. He is the epitome of perfection. And Dad hates him.

Immediately after high school graduation, eighteen-year-old Maya is kicked out of her wealthy dad's NYC home; he prides himself on forcing his kids to "make their own way in the world." Maya's mom lives in Guatemala, so Maya crashes with friends while working and trying to land freelance writing gigs. Maya struggles to find her footing until she gets access to a "writing room," a shared workspace where she can focus―and get to know the intriguing neighbor, Jake, who's often there.

I’d kill to be the kind of dancer my mom wants me to be, but it’s just not in the cards. I’m sick of dieting. I'll never fit into the perfect ballerina mold, and I’m tired of wishing that I could. I’m over it. I’m done trying. I’m perfectly content to dance alone in the dark while the rest of the school is sleeping.

A Bold Rebellion is the tenth book in the thrilling YA fantasy collection The Network Series.

Fifteen-year-old Natalie Ryba reluctantly moves from the Illinois suburbs to Rapid City, South Dakota, when her mom accepts a new job in the Black Hills. More than anything, Natalie wants to find the same peace and sense of belonging she had in Illinois with her friends and track team. But moving across the country, living minutes from her estranged, eccentric grandmother, and developing a crush on her next-door neighbor put that dream out of reach.

Finally, an all-inclusive audiobook on young adult fiction must-do, don’t do, and how-to. If you want to write a young adult novel, you need to listen to this book first. Coauthored by an award-winning YA author and an acquisitions editor, both experts on kids and what they like to read, this encyclopedia contains all you need to start or improve a career as a YA fiction author.

Aurora, a recent arrival, quickly becomes entwined with three teenagers: Harriet, whose father owns a local bookstore rich with history of the town; Silas, whose grandmother operates a quirky kite shop known as Cloud Writers; and Ashby, a boy reeling from the recent death of his father.

Fourteen-year-old Kirby Renton is a gifted theatre kid who wants to fix things: his dads’ marriage, his younger brother’s epilepsy. When ten-year-old Baxter’s seizures start involving visits from “the lightning people,” who descend from the sky and show him strange symbols, Kirby knows he needs to protect his brother, but how? He thinks he’s found the answer when the neurologist advises his family to consider a seizure-alert dog, but the cost is too much for his family to afford.

Fans of the YA fantasy series The Network Series can now explore the world of Alkarra with this enthralling new short-story collection. The compilation includes 10 never-before-heard adventures gleaned from events throughout The Network Series. Short stories from The Network Series offers tales from many beloved characters, including Mildred, Marten, Derek, Angelina, Hazel, Camille, and Merrick.

One of the most important patriots in post-Revolutionary times. Most people know Noah Webster for his dictionary masterpieces and his promotion of a living "American Language" that embraces words and idioms from all its immigrant peoples. But he was also the driving force behind universal education for all citizens, including slaves, females, and adult learners. Speaker of twenty languages, he developed the new country's curriculum, writing and publishing American literature, American history, and American geography. He published New York City's first daily newspaper.