i have two new books out, and realized i hadn’t posted that when i saw alan mercer’s post about them yesterday.
kurt johnston and i are co-writing this series of six books for middle school kids: the middle school survival series. the first two are called ‘my faith’ and ‘my family’. i’m pretty excited about them, because i just haven’t found much stuff written to middle schoolers that is developmentally-informed but doesn’t talk down to them. each book has 75 ‘chapters’ (kurt and i always refer to them as ‘bits’), grouped into sections of 3 – 8 on various themes. but we purposefully wrote it so it can be read non-linearly. kids can skip around and read whatever catches their attention.
kurt and i also inserted four (two each, in each book) “i was a middle school dork” stories of stupid things we did. there are quotes from read middle schoolers, on subject, on about every third page. and there are weird little factoids set sideways along the outside edge of random pages.
we have no idea if people will buy them or not (middle school kids rarely buy their own books — so it would have to be moms or youth workers, most likely). but we think they could be fun and helpful for 11 – 14 year-olds.
now, we have to get working on the next two: ‘my friends’ and ‘my school’, as our manuscript deadline is march 1!
i set up the ‘middle school/spanish’ table at the ys store at convention and thought to myself ‘man we’ve got to get more middle school pastors/workers writing’. so glad to see these coming out, as my own daughter will be 11 in march.
i’m getting teary just thinking that resources that have helped me for decades now will begin to form her own spiritual life marko. thank you. i know your heart beats for this age group and as i launch my own daughter into this world i am so thankful that there are people like you to help her on her way.