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MO Day #18 Lydia Lukidis Hooks the Reader

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Strong Expository Literature: It’s all About the Hook

By Lydia Lukidis

Nonfiction pioneer Melissa Stewart helps us discern various categories of nonfiction, and one of my favorites is expository literature. As opposed to a narrative style, expository literature doesn’t seek to tell a story. Instead, these books explain, describe, or inform readers on a certain concept or idea.


When I started subbing my expository picture book through my agent, Miranda Paul, I noticed that narrative fiction seemed to be an easier sell with editors. I wondered why. After some research and discussion with my peers, I realised a few things. First off, many editors simply love a good story. Secondly, while presenting facts, it’s easy to slip into a more traditional nonfiction style (ie encyclopedia).


That said, it’s possible to publish expository nonfiction. But it will require stellar writing, and most importantly, a compelling hook. It’s not enough to simply fill the book with interesting information.


So what exactly is a hook? Simply put, it’s presenting your content through a unique lens. The hook engages readers and makes them want to continue reading, and it may surprise them by turning a conventional idea upside down.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of mentor expository texts with strong hooks:


Pink is for Blobfish by Jess Keating is high concept- it was pitched as “Pinkalicious meets National Geographic.” Pure genius! Keating takes the color pink, a color often associated with sparkly, princessy fun, and turns it on its head. She shows us that pink is also the color of monster slugs and bloated blobfish. Note: if you can create a title that encapsulates the concept and hook, even better.


Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs by Melissa Stewart is another great example. Nonfiction books often feature superlatives, as in the fastest or smartest animal. The book chronicles the underdogs of the animal kingdom, and everyone loves an underdog. Again, Stewart demonstrates this hook in the title.


A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston is an excellent example of layered text. The first part of the text in each spread is for younger children, while the second part is for older ones. The book presents information about butterflies in a very unique way. Instead of simply relaying facts, Aston personifies butterflies by giving them characteristics such as creative, patient, and helpful.

13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich is awesome. First off, it’s a reverse counting book that teaches subtraction in a clever way as a swarm of flies loses a member at every page turn. The book also discusses how different animals capture and consume flies. There’s plenty of “ew factor” for the kids as some flies get zapped or zombified. A fun read for both children and adults!


Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sara Levine is another great mentor text. Instead of just enumerating the different bones in various animals like an encyclopedia, Levine creates a distinctive hook. She makes the reader wonder by posing a series of riddles, such as, “What would you be if your finger bones grew so long that they reached your feet? You'd be a bat!” By removing or adding bones to animals and humans, she shows readers our commonalities as well as differences when it comes to our skeleton.


There are a lot more examples out there, and I encourage you to read as many expository books with strong hooks as you can. That’s ultimately what helped me frame my own expository book in a more unique way, and what helped finally sell it.

BIO for Lydia Lukidis

Lydia Lukidis writes for children aged 3-12, and is the author of over thirty trade and educational books and thirty eBooks. Her latest STEM book, THE BROKEN BEES’ NEST (Boyds Mills & Kane, 2019), was nominated for a CYBILS Award. Her background is multi-disciplinary and spans the fields of literature, science, and puppetry. In addition to her creative work, she enjoys doing author visits and composing curriculum aligned lesson plans. Lydia also loves being a judge on Rate your Story!


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Prize:

Lydia is happy to give away one nonfiction PB critique (5-10 pages) to one lucky winner.



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