My Weird Writing Tips

Facing off against the convention wisdom among some that “CUL8R is the same as see you later” and that “Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are boring,” Gutman provides compelling evidence why those kids should change their thinking: “You sound like a dumbhead.” With help from Andrea and A.J., two characters from his My Weird School series, Gutman walks readers through the basics of writing and revising stories (“Move it along. Get to the point. You don’t want your readers to die from old age while they’re reading your story”), before moving on to common grammatical pitfalls and spelling woes. With pitch-perfect humor and forthright, no-nonsense encouragement, it’s an ideal writing and grammar guide for kids who typically wouldn’t touch one with a 10-foot poll. Er, pole. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Liza Pulitzer Voges, Eden Street Literary. (July)