Shannon Hale is the bestselling author behind The Princess in Black series. It's a favorite early chapter book series for kids ages 5–8 and boys love it as much as girls do. Her newest book, Princess in Black and the Trick or Treating Trouble, comes out just in time for Halloween. We talked with her about it as part of our Q&A author series and asked about a few of her favorite things too.
This is a sponsored message from Night Zookeeper Over the past couple of years, parents have really seen the value of educational apps and websites to help engage our kids in core subjects. If their excitement for reading and writing cou…
As we all scramble to grapple with the new normal of our kids home from school, I'm thankful for the teachers in my life who have been doing this job for years. I can always count on them for great ideas, like these 10 writing exercises,…
As a mom of three, I have loved few things as much as hearing the crazy stories my kids have dreamt up, or reading the creative things they choose to write on paper. And so I am super psyched to hear about a contest that rewards kids for…
I desperately need handwriting help for kids in my home, and so I've been working so hard to find resources, printables, and other tricks to help make handwriting practice more fun (hopefully? maybe?) for them. My requirements: They have…
Fellow word nerds , gather round, as we take a moment for one of our top pastimes, checking out the new words added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary this month. (Other favorite pastimes, by the way, include doing the Sunday Times Crossw…
In honor of the Fourth of July (happy 241, America!) I'm grateful to our friends at Tattly Tattoos who put together this lovely photographic series, in which they asked all different makers, creators, and entrepreneurs to describe what i…
I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that you can totally write a book. You don't need otherworldly talent (though you do need some talent); you don't need an MFA you promised yourself you'd get but never did; you don't even…
We love pencil cases! They're where we put all our pencils! And pens, and earbuds, and erasers, and... pretty much anything that'll fit. As our kids head back to school , we're getting serious about corralling clutter, and if we can do i…
When I was a kid at summer camp, mail time was always one of the best parts of my days. And I'd imagine now, a time when hardly any of us get actual personal snail mail at all, camp mail is an even more exciting ritual. So we've got some…
This review almost didn't happen, because my daughter "lost" this writer's notebook; she'd written so many hopes, dreams, and ideas in it that she didn't want anyone, to see it. Ever. It's that kind of book. It inspires trust and sparks …
While we try to cook most of our meals at home--with the help of all of the awesome recipes curated on Cool Mom Picks by our resident foodie, Stacie Billis--sometimes dining out is a necessity. You get it. And now Chipotle's new Cultivat…
Our favorite picture books inspire our kids to come up with stories of their own, though I'm especially excited about the Little Red Writing book , which also teaches them the how to construct the story so that it's entertaining and fun.…
We all have our pet peeves, and one of mine happens to be spelling and grammar. Even a text message with they're/there/their used incorrectly is enough to make me cringe. (To say nothing of all the pitches we receive daily that assure us…
As we move to empower our daughters, to help them find strong role models (you know, whose accomplishments don't include "twerking"), and to get them excited about their potential, I'm so delighted to find a new website that helps do tho…
Hi, Word Nerd here. You know, the type who cringes wildly every time she receives a pitch promising "A Great Story Idea For Mom's Everywhere." I'm also a little anal about the its/it's issues on my children's homework, so you can imagine…
With all the talk about getting rid of cursive handwriting in schools, this writer is a little panicky. Fortunately my kids are showing the inclination anyway. Which is in part why I'm loving these awesome personalized placemats to help …
Ok, so there's actually no wrong way to celebrate Pi Day, which is today, 3.14. (Get it?) But this option is inexpensive, functional, and calorie-free. Plus, it can help your kids learn more than the first three digits of everyone's favo…
Anyone who's familiar with the uber popular blog The Bloggess , by Jenny Lawson, won't be surprised in the least that her new memoir Let's Pretend this Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir ) is spit-bourbon-out-your-nose funny. You won't…
One of my literary heroes has always been Anna Quindlen . She's not only an amazing columnist, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, hard working mom, and now incredible author, she's an all-around very cool, very inspiring woman. Next Tues…
Ask my mom, and she'll tell you that she knew I was a writer from the moment I was born, or at least from the moment I started scrawling my first story on the wall in... um... nevermind. Too bad they didn't have this onesie back then. Th…
After our local Border's bookstore closed, I became a bit "woe is me" about the future of books. I'm one of those people who just can't imagine sitting down my kids for a bedtime story with my iPad in my lap. So, I'm rejoicing over this …
My mom was amazing with personal notes--she always produced the loveliest card, written just-so, perfectly on-time, for every occasion. Her mastery of the art form skipped a generation. But the good news is that means my kids have a fair…