MINDS MADE FOR STORIES

By Thomas Newkirk. Narrative is regularly considered a type of writing—often an "easy" one, appropriate for early grades but giving way to argument and analysis in later grades. This groundbreaking book challenges all that. It invites readers to imagine narrative as something more—as the primary way we understand our world and ourselves. "To deny the centrality of narrative is to deny our own nature," Newkirk explains. "As humans, we must tell stories." When we are engaged readers, we are following a story constructed by the author, regardless of the type of writing. To sustain a reading—in a novel, an opinion essay, or a research article—we need a plot that helps us comprehend specific information, or experience the significance of an argument. As Robert Frost reminds us, all good memorable writing is "dramatic." Grades 6–12. Heinemann. 159 pages. ©2014.

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