• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

A hilarious how-to on creative writing that makes the writing process fun for aspiring middle-school authors. For fans of Writing Radar by Jack Gantos.

Interested in writing but don't know how to get started?

Love reading and want to know more about how stories are created?

Like ridiculous tales about troublesome sisters, peanut butter and steamrollers?

Look no further!

Esteemed writer Richard Scrimger is here to answer all your burning questions about writing: whether about plot, character, structure, story hooks or commas. (Actually, don't ask him about commas, it's not that kind of book.)

Using clever (so he thinks) analogies, (sort of) brilliant examples and funny (well . . .) anecdotes, he will give you (truly) useful tools to start you on your way as a writer. And if that's not enough, comic illustrations by D. McFadzean are the pepperoni on the writing pizza! (That will make sense once you read the book.)

So come, read this book and start your writing journey!

Richard Scrimger a écrit plus de vingt livres pour enfants et adultes, dont Zomboy et Downside Up. Plusieurs d’entre eux ont été publiés dans le monde entier et ont remporté ou ont été mis en nomination pour des prix prestigieux. Il contribue aussi à la série Seven et il est un orateur recherché dans les écoles.

Richard Scrimger is the award-winning author of seven novels for children, three picture books, and three books for adults. Columns detailing Richard’ s adventures in parenthood have been published in "The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine," and "Today’ s Parent." His first children’ s novel, "The Nose from Jupiter," won the 10th Annual Mr. Christie’ s Book Award. His first adult novel, "Crosstown," was short-listed for the City of Toronto Book Award. He and his family live in Cobourg, Ontario.

Richard Scrimger's profile page

D. McFadzean's profile page

One of CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens for 2024

"[L]ike all good storytelling manuals, this one provides both warm encouragement and a selection of time-tested tools for hesitant wordsmiths." —Kirkus Reviews

"Scrimger uses his passion to offer solid advice through upbeat, useful, and occasionally comical explanations and related interactive quizzes and exercises." —Booklist

"Practical and entertaining, this is a worthy resource for budding story writers." —School Library Journal

"Richard Scrimger brings his innate talent and humor to this practical guide . . . . As informative as it is laugh out loud funny." —Brantford News
"Scrimger’s words are complemented by whimsical illustrations by D. McFadzean, giving the reader a moment to breathe and reflect—something zealous readers may need, especially if they hope to become writers as well as readers." —Reading With A Pencil