I
write Teen and Young Adult novels. That poses an interesting problem. At what
age do kids have carte blanche access to the traditional (funny—traditional— in
a new world of eBooks) methods of getting the word out about books for teens
and YA. Obviously, the upper end of that age range is not an issue. Older
teenagers can and will download books all day long.
The
real question is how do you access the younger audience? Who are the
gatekeepers for the 12, 13, 14 year-olds out there? Maybe I’m the one out of
touch, and if so, please let me know because I sure do want to reach the kids
that should be reading my books.
With
this in mind, I looked into what was available out in the cyber world. There’s
no better place to start than a fantastic site that reviewed THE CARD, way back
in the beginning.
The mission at BookDads.com is to highlight books,
which show fatherhood in a positive light. Some of the content they bring to
you includes:
* Author
spotlights and interviews
* Advice and
resources for dads to help promote reading to their children
* Parenting
resources for dads
* Book
reviews
The premiere site for parents of twins. A
great resource for just about everything associated with having twins.
Articles, giveaways and an unbelievable support group of other parents with
twins. One of the most active portions of their site is the forum, which
contains a constant and ever-changing discussion of all things twins.
The nation’s leading independent nonprofit
advocating for kids. This site is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and
families by providing trustworthy information and education. They review all
things media—books, movies, video games and more. The also offer resources for
understanding your children and what they are going through at all ages. An
excellent and vital resource to understanding your kid and what the media world
means to him.
This number one global community of reviewers
connects Moms and Dads who enjoy reviewing cool products. The site is chock
full of reviews on books, gifts, merchandise, food and tons of giveaways.
These are just a few of the tip sites that
help busy parents understand what’s appropriate for their children. Our kids
are growing at light speed and it is very difficult to know about every new
fad, gadget, or social media site that hits the mainstream every day.
With a little help from these folks, you
should have an easier time finding age appropriate material to help stimulate
your child’s love for reading, writing and learning.
If you know of other sites that you would like to mention, please leave them in the comments section for others to see.
