Image & Imagination: Ideas and Inspiration for Teen Writers

Gr 8 Up—A wonderful tool to inspire even the most unambitious student writer. This self-proclaimed nonworkbook ("This isn't a workbook…you don't have to do what the prompts ask") reads like a personal diary: a space for students to throw caution—and all writing rules—to the wind. One hundred and fifty writing and imagery prompts attempt to get those creative juices flowing with an emphasis on the basics: getting the words out, revising, and sharing with others (if desired). Each prompt is paired with an image. Some are directly related to each other (a photo of a wacky house has the prompt "Write a poem about the person who lives here"), while others are a bit more tenuous ("What's your problem?" is paired with an image of a lion in a cage). Other exercises use quotes by famous authors to demonstrate or clarify the prompt ("Describe the feeling of impact" is accompanied by a related excerpt of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief). Each page is more beautiful than the next.