A Review of FLYING FINGERS - Writing Tips and Advice From a Child Writer

Review by Suzanne Lieurance

As a children's writing instructor myself, it's not every day that I get writing tips from an eight-year old, especially GOOD writing tips. But I just finished reading FLYING FINGERS: MASTER THE TOOLS OF LEARNING THROUGH THE JOY OF WRITING, which includes tips, stories, and writing activities from its author, Adora Svitak. Adora is an eight-year old girl from Redmond, Washington, who was just seven when she wrote Flying Fingers, which also includes commentary and coaching advice from her mother, Joyce Svitak.

After reading this book I realized that many of my adult writing students don't write as well as Adora. But then, most of these adults don't write as MUCH as Adora does. In FLYING FINGERS she explains that she wrote more than 250,000 words (over 300 stories, essays, and poems) in a single year and she continues to write thousands of words of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry every week. Plus, she reads all the time. By her own estimate she's already devoured more than 1600 books.

Typing is another skill that Adora mastered early. In fact, she started writing at age four, when her mother bought her a laptop and she used it to make up stories. Now she types about sixty words per minute.

With so many early accomplishments, it's no wonder Adora has been a guest on Good Morning America and Diane Sawyer calls her "a tiny literary giant." But although Adora's skills are truly amazing, she didn't write FLYING FINGERS to brag about herself. She wrote it because she is passionate about inspiring other children to become just as accomplished and excited about learning as she is. And her mother says,"With support, encouragement from parents and educators, and the proper use of technology, all children have the potential to excel and enjoy writing and learning as much as Adora does."

After reading FLYING FINGERS, I think she might be right about that - so I hope parents, educators, and children everywhere will get a copy of this book. Then just maybe we can find out.

Adora's book is available online at http://www.amazon.com and at bookstores across the country.

FLYING FINGERS: MASTER THE TOOLS OF LEARNING THROUGH
THE JOY OF WRITING
Author: Adora Svitak
Action Publishing (Glendale, CA )
October 1, 2005
ISBN: 1888045191
$12.95

For more reviews of children's books and other articles, tips, and resources for children's writers, visit http://www.writingforchildrencenter.com and sign up for the mailing list. Visit http://www.workingwriterscoach.com for articles, resources, and programs for freelance writers. Suzanne Lieurance is a fulltime freelance writer, children's author, writing coach, and the founder and director of The National Writing for Children Center.