Joshua Van Laningham
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joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Joshua Van Laningham
@joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
19 followers 28 following 31 posts
Chapter book enthusiast.
Chapter book writer.
Check out my chapter book blog: themousehold.com
Over 550 chapter books across 80+ series read and counting.
Did I mention I like chapter books?
Active Member of SCBWI-NM.
Updates first Sun of every month.
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Joshua Van Laningham @joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social · Jun 16
Interested in writing chapter books? Check out this short overview of the format and see what you're getting into!
themousehold.com/2025/03/01/c...
Chapter Books 101
I get enough questions about chapter books, so I’ve put together a short list of information regarding the format. I might update this from time to time as I learn more, so check back every o…
themousehold.com
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
An oldie, but a goodie.
themousehold.com/2026/10/01/s...
[Series Spotlight] Billie B Mysteries
Okay okay, just one more Australian chapter book series this year, I promise. No, not Billie’s main series. Or her best friend’s series. That’s like, over fifty books I still have…
themousehold.com
October 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Two fairy series. Two hundred more to go. If you're looking for fairy chapter book series, these are a good place to start!
themousehold.com/2026/09/01/d...
[Double Booked] Fairy Scout Friends & Forever Fairies
I’m back with two very similar series! Similar enough to compare (and contrast). Even those covers show similar poses. There are probably as many active fairy chapter book series as there are…
themousehold.com
September 6, 2026 at 9:04 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
The name's the game:
themousehold.com/2026/08/01/c...
Character Names in Chapter Books
I briefly mentioned this in my mean girls post, but it’s time for a deep dive. Names are for more than just mean girls.Chapter books tend to be character driven. The majority of titles involv…
themousehold.com
August 2, 2026 at 8:59 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Three kids cause questionable amounts of trouble, but an unquestionable amount of good reading.
themousehold.com/2026/07/01/s...
[Series Spotlight] Trouble At Table 5
I’m back with another really cool, really short series. This time from HarperCollins! Their Harper Chapters imprint has been around since 2020, so not really long enough to have any standout …
themousehold.com
July 6, 2026 at 1:53 AM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
A witchy new series baking up some magic.
themousehold.com/2026/06/01/b...
[Book Smarts] Witchycakes 1-3
Witchycakes is a brand new chapter book series for ages 6-9. Just came out last year and there’s already three books new. Can you guess what it’s about? They’re not just a witch, …
themousehold.com
June 7, 2026 at 9:36 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
How to help keep your chapter book pacing on point:
themousehold.com/2026/05/01/t...
Transitions in Chapter Books
Pacing is the glue that holds chapter books together. You only have ~2000-10,000 words to get the job done, so you’d better move fast. Knowing when and how to move on is key. Let’s talk…
themousehold.com
May 3, 2026 at 4:13 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
This month I talk about one of the best early chapter books ever!
themousehold.com/2026/04/01/s...
[Series Spotlight] Lily the Elf
Okay, now let’s talk about Australian chapter books. The earliest of chapter books. Age 4-7 early. Not an early reader, I can assure you. We don’t talk about those here. Just to give yo…
themousehold.com
April 5, 2026 at 8:52 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
This month we have a perfect start into the wide world of Australian chapter books!
themousehold.com/2026/03/01/c...
[Cover Story] Penelope Perfect
Finally, I get to talk about Australian chapter books! Kind of. If you thought chapter books were big in the UK, sit back. Yeah yeah, Bluey has chapter books. No way, I’m not talking about Bi…
themousehold.com
March 1, 2026 at 3:18 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Different Stella. Different fairies. Still an amazing series.
themousehold.com/2026/02/01/b...
[Book Smarts] Stella and the Night Sprites 1-2
There are a lot of chapter book series about fairies. It’s not all rainbows and magic. Only two are about Tinker Bell even. Stella and the Night Sprites is not your average fairy series. Whic…
themousehold.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:45 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
That other series I mentioned last month. If you haven't heard about it yet, you're welcome.
themousehold.com/2026/01/01/s...
January 4, 2026 at 10:51 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
A stunning new chapter book series from the creative minds behind Ivy+Bean. You have to hear about this.
themousehold.com/2025/12/01/b...
[Book Smarts] Stella & Marigold 1-2
How did I not find out about this until a year after book one? Is that the author and illustrator of Ivy+Bean? This is big. This is a cold, calculated series designed to wear away at your funny bon…
themousehold.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:44 AM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Did you know Rainbow Magic had a movie? Find out more here!
themousehold.com/2025/11/01/w...
[Watch List] Rainbow Magic – Return to Rainspell Island
So I wasn’t planning on making another new article type this year, but then I realized: there’s actually a decent amount of movie adaptations of chapter books. And TV shows. Even stage …
themousehold.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:25 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
This month I talked about the new Sophie Mouse book. Spoilers: It's good.
themousehold.com/2025/10/01/b...
[Book Smarts] Sophie Mouse 22 – Sunflower Hour
So I’ve talked about Sophie before, but there’s been a couple books since then. This being the second one. And it’s really good. Let’s Be Real… Every Sophie book is go…
themousehold.com
October 5, 2025 at 9:12 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Parents are mentioned in most kidlit stories, but you might be surprised how often they're actually relevant.
themousehold.com/2023/10/31/p...
September 28, 2025 at 10:46 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
The cover arts for Judy Moody have evolved quite a bit over the years. Check them out here!
themousehold.com/2023/08/28/c...
September 21, 2025 at 9:10 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
The chapter book series that got me into chapter books. Check out Sophie if you haven't already:
themousehold.com/2023/10/11/s...
[Series Spotlight] The Adventures of Sophie Mouse (1-20)
So as you may have read in my intro post, Sophie here is what got me back into kidlit. Just look at that art and those characters. How can you not read that? Everything looks so nice. Premise We fo…
themousehold.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:21 AM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
This month I talk about the wide world of activity books related to chapter books!
themousehold.com/2025/09/01/c...
September 7, 2025 at 10:19 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Junie's been around for a long time. She's still in print, so she must be doing something right!
themousehold.com/2024/01/01/s...
[Series Spotlight] Junie B. Jones (1-28)
Happy new year everyone! What have I been doing over the holiday season? Oh not much just finishing all of Junie B Jones. I’m not even done yet, but I’ve read all the mainline books and…
themousehold.com
August 31, 2025 at 9:47 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Maybe you've read Magic Tree House by now, but have you looked at all the cover arts? What about the covers in other languages?
themousehold.com/2024/03/01/c...
[Cover Story] Magic Tree House
So recently a friend of mine made the mistake of informing me that Magic Tree House was a thing. Like, one the best-selling chapter book series of all time kind of a thing. Sixty-six books not coun…
themousehold.com
August 24, 2025 at 9:34 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Chapter books are a series-based format. What does that mean for the prospective author?
themousehold.com/2024/06/01/c...
Consistency and Continuity in Chapter Book Series
Chapter books tend to be in series, but how much does that really matter? If a kid is expected to be able to pick up any book in a series and not be missing anything, what do you need to repeat? Wh…
themousehold.com
August 17, 2025 at 9:21 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
You've probably heard of Magic Tree House, but have you read one? How about thirty-eight of them?
themousehold.com/2024/03/31/s...
[Series Spotlight] Magic Tree House (1-38)
Series art by Sam Murdocca (1-28) and A.G. Ford (29-38) So I don’t know how I’ve gone my whole life not knowing about this series. I’ve had a lot of friends and coworkers go &#822…
themousehold.com
August 10, 2025 at 9:05 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
themousehold.com/2025/08/01/s...
This month I finally get into Rainbow Magic! One of them at least.
[Series Spotlight] Rainbow Magic – The Night Fairies
Yep, I finally got there. It’s Rainbow Magic time.So Rainbow Magic is a Heckelbeck-level lengthy chapter book series that I’ve been avoiding for a while. But sometimes you find a near-m…
themousehold.com
August 3, 2025 at 9:24 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Chapter books cover a wide variety of topics. Here's some of the more common ones:
themousehold.com/2024/07/01/1...
15 Common Topics In Chapter Books
When writing for a specific age group, you want to be relatable. If you’re writing a chapter book series, you’re going to have to be relatable a lot. Can you cover ten topics? Twenty? H…
themousehold.com
July 28, 2025 at 1:19 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Somehow still haven't read Dragon Masters? Maybe you should!
themousehold.com/2024/11/01/s...
[Series Spotlight] Dragon Masters (1-25)
Yeah yeah, I’m talking about Dragon Masters again. That series I previously mentioned I had no idea why I liked it. Well I’ve read over twenty-five books now, so I’d better figure…
themousehold.com
July 20, 2025 at 9:06 PM
joshuavanlaningham.bsky.social
Isadora Moon Day was in February, but that doesn't mean you still can't read it. If you're based in the US, you might not realize how many books she has!
themousehold.com/2024/12/01/s...
[Series Spotlight] Isadora Moon (1-20)
It’s finally time! I’ve talked a bit about everyone’s favorite vampire-fairy in a lot of my past articles. She just hit twenty books (and a TV show) which is my baseline for Serie…
themousehold.com
July 13, 2025 at 9:00 PM