R.L. Stine has quickly become one of my heroes. I happened upon his Master Class by accident, and I can not recommend it highly enough. If you have any interest in writing for kids, you must give his Master Class a go. I watched the whole thing on my laptop. I understand that many people will listen to a Master Class in their ear pods, podcast style, but the Master Class video production is so well done that I feel I would be missing out otherwise. And, as is the case with all of their classes, R.L. Stine’s Master Class includes supplemental print out material.
From evil dummies to deadly babysitting jobs, our newest instructor’s best-selling Goosebumps and Fear Street books have thrilled kids and teens for decades. Introducing @RL_Stine MasterClass on Writing for Young Audiences: https://t.co/Q6XH1zGyeQ pic.twitter.com/zFcLRRy7Kx
— MasterClass (@MasterClass) March 29, 2018
I feel that basketball fiction is a winning genre, but the thing is, it’s not easy to do. I think the best examples of it out there are anchored in story. They don’t get too bogged down in the details of the game itself. Basketball is used by the author as a connection point to an engaging plot.
After having watched the R.L. Stine Master Class, I was very excited to find BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. Originally published in 1993, and now available on Kindle.
The story is about Samantha Byrd, a tall, clumsy middle schooler who is the focus of intense scrutiny by her personal nemesis, Judith. Sam and Judith have the added tension of playing on the same basketball team with each other. After being bullied several times by Judith, Samantha happens across a strange woman who presents her with three wishes. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR takes on a unique spin on the 3 wishes trope. The ending was a delight, and was reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
One thing that really stood out to me from R.L. Stine’s Master Class was his commentary on how fiction for young readers does not need to always have some bigger moral story embedded within it. He points out how it’s ok for kids to read just for the pure enjoyment of it-just as adults might well do. With this in mind, I couldn’t help but notice that BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR does happen into what I think is a very useful thought experiment that a young reader could employ in their own life when dealing with difficult people. In that way, I believe this book does cross over into a useful life lesson territory.
This story was also the inspiration for one of the episodes of the Goosebumps tv show. The tv plot differs from the book, which could lead to a thoughtful discussion among a group of young readers in a classroom. Amazon does have the book listed as a Teachers’ Choice.
The Amazon links on this website are Amazon Affiliate links, and support True Baller Books when you click and buy from them. This is at no additional cost to you.
