This really is an "exciting" book about creative writing. Author Ruth McDaniel has written many short stories which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. She is an ideal person to create a book to help others follow in her footsteps. Consequently, this is a practical, meaty, interesting resource rather than a school exercise-oriented book, although, it does have a few exercises to review grammar and sentence construction essentials early in the book. Use these or not according to the language skills of each student.
The bulk of the book is creative writing lessons for prose and poetry, with major concentration on short stories. McDaniel includes numerous inspiring and instructive examples, so we get the feeling, "This isn't so difficult!"
She offers solid advice for figuring out what to say and how to say it for the greatest effectiveness. McDaniel views writing as a means of conveying the Gospel and Christian principles through stories that show rather than preach God's message. This perspective and guiding purpose is very evident throughout the lessons.
At the end are proofreading and evaluating guidelines, then information on critiques and copyrights, because students who complete this course are likely to be writing publishable pieces. Although the publisher recommends it for grades 7-9, I think that it is appropriate for all high school students and even aspiring adult authors. Students can complete some of the writing exercises within the book itself, but they will also need a separate notebook for lengthier writing assignments. [A suggestion for your consideration: A number of excerpts are from the Christian Liberty Press literature book, Exploring Christian Literature, or from authors represented therein, so it might be interesting to correlate use of the two resources.]
An inexpensive test booklet is also available.
