I want kids to know they matter now, not at some later time when they’re grown. I want them to know they are seen and heard, that their feelings and experiences matter.
Some grownups have said I write about unsavory things, things better not mentioned in books for children— you know, like real life and real situations and the real choices real people sometimes make. But kids are smarter than grownups. They get that fiction is one of the world’s best means to speak truth. And any truth that I write will always make way for hope.
Frederick Buechner said what I hope my writing most conveys: “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”
I thought I might see you in New Orleans this weekend. Thanks for writing this. I wish we could sit down and chat sometime about writing for children. I agree that truth in fiction helps children make sense of their world.
I wish I could have been there! I hope the conference went well. Thank you for the important work you do, Margaret.
I love this post and feel that I can relate to your sentiment. So yes, keep writing your wonderful books,Caroline. Young readers need them.❤
Thank you, Kathleen. And likewise!
You’re absolutely right: kids are smarter than grown-ups. 🙂
And I love that Buechner quote. Your characters certainly live by it!
Thank you, Joanne. It means a lot