Review of Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers from Everyday Education, LLC

All kids need a good start in writing. All grown-ups do, too. That's why we were especially pleased to have the chance to review the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers from Everyday Education, LLC. This handbook was designed to be used with highschool through college students. It's perfect, however, for eager middle-schoolers and grownups!



First, I think every person who reads or writes should have some kind of handbook. We know of the popular guides for MLA style, for example, but what about for more stylized writing? This book has become my go-to "guide" as a professional writer, something I didn't expect when reviewing this as a homeschool parent searching for a resource for students and their teacher.s It's a super surprise!

It starts out with a discussion and explanation of all the of the kinds and uses of essays vs. arguments. It shows examples of effective use and lays out the "anatomy" of properly-written essays and how to include arguments. This was a very valuable piece alone, since persuasive writing isn't done very well these days. My kids are also learning Logic, so they have a complete framework of how to include their logic principles into a well-written, flowing essay or argument with this additional resource.

It goes from the bones of good writing into writing traps. This handbook, which I reviewed in a PDF form, had pages upon pages of the some of the most common writing "trip ups", along with how to handle them. Words that people commonly mix up included "hear/here" and "hanged/hung". There were many examples listed that I personally find myself confusing. This alone was a great resource.



The book continues with grammar, punctuation, and parts of speech. It's really a mixture of a grammar guide and a style guide. I felt like it would be perfect to wrap up all the learning one should have had in elementary and high school and tie it into a neat little bow.

How would one use this resource? I really like books like this as both a reference (something I look to when I have a usage question -- rather than Google, which may not be accurate) and as a learning guide. Students of Junior High or High School level could take a break from their textbook studies and go through this book, a part at a time, and make sure they they have fully learned all the must-know basics of the English language grammar rules and writing formats. For a homeschooler, who often wonders "did I cover everything?" this book gives you a way to answer that question with a resounding YES!

The Handbook for Writers is just one really great resource from Everyday Education, LLC. They have other literature-based helps that would probably be just as helpful for your homeschool. (Check out the reviews from other parents at the bottom of this post for more info.)

You can see more about Everyday Education, LLC at their website. They are also active on social media. See them on  Pinterest, Facebook and Facebook pageLinkedIn, Google+, and Twitter.

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