I’m the proud mother of three kid writers. I’m not surprised that my children all love writing. I wrote stories constantly when I was young, so it only makes sense that they inherited that love of writing and storytelling.
My kids write all kinds of stories, from fantasy to graphic novels and realistic fiction. Like most new writers, their stories are mostly fanfiction (stories set in the world of their favorite books, movies, and games), but they have started to branch out and write some original stories too. I love seeing them experiment and come up with new ideas. They tell me about their stories and the things they struggle with—whether it’s coming up with a new idea or figuring out how to expand a chapter so that it’s longer than half a page.
And when they finish writing their story, they almost always share it with me. It’s so fun to see the things they come up with! One of my kids wrote an entire series of fan-fiction stories set in the world of Warriors by Erin Hunter. My 5-year-old wrote and illustrated a 20-page graphic novel featuring her pet hamster as a spy.
If you have a budding author at home and want to encourage them, here are some fantastic books and gift ideas for kid writers.
Related post: Let’s Get Writing! 13 Picture Books to Encourage Writing
Related post: 13 Awesome Gifts and Books for Teen Writers
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Awesome Books and Gifts for Kid Writers
101 Story Starters for Kids by Dena McMurdie
I’m shamelessly plugging my own book here. This is a collection of over one hundred story prompts to get kids’ creative juices flowing. Whether they love writing funny stories, scary stories, fantasy, science fiction, or anything else, they’ll find plenty of ideas to get them started. On each page, they’ll find two or three sentences that start a story. From there, kid writers can make the story their own and decide what’s going to happen next.
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Draw Your Own Comics! by Batch of Books
This is another shameless plug. If your child loves comics and graphic novels, this is a fantastic resource for them. Learning how to tell a story through panels is a unique and fun challenge for kids (and adults). With this book, they can experiment with 50 different page layouts. On the last few pages, they’ll also find a few tips and tricks to help them make their comic the best it can be.
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How to Write Your Best Story Ever!: Top Tips and Trade Secrets From the Experts by Christopher Edge
If you’re a teacher looking for a good resource for your classroom, check out this book. It offers young writers several methods to develop engaging plots, interesting characters, and unique story ideas. You’ll also find practical advice from bestselling authors. It’s a wonderful book for kids interested in developing their creative writing skills.
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Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly by Gail Carson Levine
This is one of the most recommended writing books for kids. And it’s written by one of the most beloved children’s authors of our time. It’s short, sweet, and jam-packed with practical advice. Kids will find exercises and tips to improve their writing and storytelling abilities. I read this with my kids and was impressed by the straightforward lessons.
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Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink by Gail Carson Levine
If you fall in love with Writing Magic and want some more, this is another fantastic book about writing from the same author. In this book, Gail Carson Levine takes kids through the challenges and joys that come with writing. She gives them the advice that she wishes someone had given her at a young age.
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Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary, New Edition by Merriam-Webster
Every kid writer needs a good dictionary in their toolbox. You can’t go wrong with a Merriam-Webster dictionary. They’ve been a solid resource for dictionaries and informational texts for decades. This one was created specifically for kids in the 8-11 age range, so your child will find lots of new-to-them words to use in their writing.
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Children’s Illustrated Thesaurus by DK
Kids that want to improve their writing and learn new words will love having this illustrated thesaurus at their disposal. I use a thesaurus daily. It helps me introduce new vocabulary into my writing. And with all the illustrations in this book, it’s perfect for kids in the 9-12 age range.
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So, You Want to Be a Writer?: How to Write, Get Published, and Make it Big! by Vicki Hambleton and Cathleen Greenwood
For kids that take their writing seriously and want to start submitting their work to publishers, this book is a must-have. Jam-packed with tips, advice, and resources for aspiring authors, ambitious young writers will find plenty of useful advice and next steps in this book.
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The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection edited by Colby Sharp
Want to see what magic can happen when people collaborate? This book is a fun collection of stories and illustrations from creative professionals who issued challenges and story starters to each other. It’s a fantastic example of how you can use resources like my book 101 Story Starters for Kids to launch your own creative pursuit—whether it’s a story, a comic, or a drawing.
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