Five Pages a Day: A Writer's Journey

By Peg Kehret

Peg Kehret, who told of her childhood battle with polio in Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio, now shares the story of her writing career. It began at the age of ten when she wrote and sold the Dog Newspaper. The paper was supposed to feature the tales of local dogs, but mostly it was about her own dog, B.J. After four issues, it folded. But Peg learned a valuable lesson: If she wanted people to read what she wrote, she had to write something interesting. Peg went on to write radio commercials, prize-winning contest entries, magazine articles, plays, and adult nonfiction books before she discovered her true voice as a writer in books for young people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman Company
• Release date: Jan 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480471276

Peg Kehret

Peg Kehret has written more than forty-three books for young people, and many have won numerous awards. Her books include mysteries such as Earthquake Terror; Five Pages a Day, the story of her life as a writer; and Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays.

Reviews for Five Pages a Day

[timbazzett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the second Peg Kehret book I've read. The other was Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio, a book I read as research I was doing for a book of my own that dealt with polio. Because Peg's book was written in the first person, from her own experience, and absolutely from the heart, it turned out to be one of my most valuable resources. This book, Five Pages a Day, is the same kind of book. It is about as real as you can get in a book that is aimed at young people. The publisher's info says it's aimed at 4th through 8th graders, but hey, I'm a grandpa, and it worked for me. I would recommend it to any kid who thinks he/she would like to be a writer. Because Kehret is totally honest, about things like early failures and rejection letters, or "dejection" letters, as her small son called them back in her early, pre-success days. I'm a writer too, but not a rich, famous, or successful one like Kehret is. Well, maybe Peg would argue with the "rich" part. But the other two - hell, yes. Oops, I mean heck, yes. I read this book in just a couple of sittings today. It's almost worth the price just for the photo of Kehret at eight years old sitting primly on the couch in a pretty dress, knee stockings and patent leather pumps, legs crossed in a very adult fashion (feet dangling a good foot above the floor), engaged in her "favorite activity" - reading. If you've got a kid who loves to read and wants to write, buy this book. It's full of great advice, relevant stories and anecdotes, and is just plain fun to read.