Issue 1: Introductions
Hey there!
Great to meet you—we’re so glad you’re here! This is the first issue of Hey, Kid!, a monthly newsletter dedicated to writing about children’s literature and entertainment. We’re Alex and Claudia McCarron, and we started this project because we want to see more critical analysis of children’s entertainment written for a general audience: thoughtful, passionate opinions on middle grade, YA, and everything in between.
Every month, we’ll choose a theme and each write a mini-essay about a story—in the form of a book, movie, show, or game—centered on it. Anything with at least a bit of a narrative element (the American Girl Dolls and their companion books, Barbie and her endless careers) is fair game, and the sky’s the limit. We want to cover stories created for kids, stories created by kids, and adult entertainment with crossover appeal.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, welcome! Subscribe if you’d like, and enjoy the rest of this inaugural issue, where you can learn more about us and what we hope to create.
Introductions
Hi! I’m Alexandra McCarron, Alex for short. The idea for Hey, Kid!, cooked up with my much smarter but eternally nine minutes younger twin sister, sprang out of two things. One was a monster case of writer’s block, and the other is the fact that 99% of what I love in a story is traceable to the first time I watched Treasure Planet. Children’s and YA stories have always been some of my best sources of joy and inspiration, and I’m hoping to crack my writer’s block by exploring them more deeply in this newsletter.
I’m Claudia McCarron, the younger twin (and Alex never lets me forget it). I used to hide books under my pillow so I could read them by nightlight. Now, I can stay up reading as long as I want, and I still love children’s books unreasonably. I’m a writer of fiction and nonfiction with pieces in Lunch Ticket, Avidly, the Ploughshares blog, and elsewhere. I couldn’t be more excited to write about one of my all-time favorite topics with one of my all-time favorite people.
Q&A
Why should we write about children’s entertainment?
A: Most of the stories about kids that we read or watch or otherwise consume as kids are created by adults trying to recapture what it’s like to be a kid. The older I get, the more fascinated I am in how those stories either succeeded or failed at building characters who walked, talked, thought, and felt like actual kids. It’s all about balance and empathy for the struggles of growing up mixed with a view long enough to see what those struggles are leading to. In my experience, teasing apart that balance tells you as much about yourself and your own childhood as it does about the story itself.
C: Children’s books and media are what I love, and I want to write about things I love. But I also think that they get a short shrift when it comes to analysis and criticism. They aren’t shorter, simpler versions of adult entertainment that you graduate from when you’re ready for more depth and nuance. Children’s media is complex and artistically innovative. Ignoring that robs us of important critical perspectives, and doesn’t give kids credit for being the savvy culture consumers they are.
What is a piece of children’s entertainment that you consider perfect?
A: Treasure Planet. Muppet Treasure Island. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Most of Megan Whalen Turner’s books, but especially The King of Attolia.
C: Tough question, but I would have to say S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. The mixture of unforgettable characters and insight and a younger, less experienced authorial voice works so beautifully. I’ve never read anything else that quite captures that spirit. Also, though I still need to finish it, Gravity Falls. It’s the wacky middle grade X-Files that I never knew I needed.
Okay! What are some of your favorite genres? What will you be writing about?
A: Fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I’m a big fan of the found family trope and complicated family dynamics in general; angsty YA family dramas are my sweet spot. The boundary between YA and adult lit is always interesting, so I’d like to cover some of the books that I think exist in the middle. Oh, and Cabbage Patch Kids majorly freak me out. There might be a (deep, well-considered) essay on that in the pipeline.
C: A lot of writing about children’s books, movies, and TV from me. I’m also hoping to dip into toys, games, comics, and other mediums that I don’t have as much experience with. I’ll read or watch just about anything, but I have a soft spot for historical fiction, the gothic, and heartfelt realistic fiction. Anything that’s emotionally engaging, with compelling characters, is a good bet.
Quick Notes
On spoilers: Essays that spoil major twists will be marked but assume a baseline level of mild-to-moderate spoiling (spoilage?) for every essay; it’s impossible to discuss a story without at least touching on the plot.
On scheduling: Our second issue goes up next week. Going forward, we’ll do our best to publish in the second week of every month but make no promises to stick exactly to that. Just as close to exactly as we can.
On our opinions: They’re our opinions—completely subjective and no doubt flawed. We’re not experts or professional critics, and discussion is why we’re here. Feel free to disagree. As long as it’s respectful, it’s all part of the fun.
We’re so excited to begin this new adventure, and we hope you are too! Next week, we’ll be discussing the old favorites that hooked into us from the beginning, a classic novel for Claudia and an underappreciated sci-fi film for Alex. (Here’s a hint: both feature pirates.)
Till next time,
Alex and Claudia