Clark comes from the world of journalism, and budding journalists are the
primary audience for this book. But Clark’s ideas have much to offer children’s
nonfiction writers as well as middle school and high school English teachers.
And in fact, teens and tweens would also enjoy and benefit from reading some
sections of the book. I’d love to see a Young Readers Edition of the title.

The first section of the book focuses on techniques to make nonfiction
writing clear and accessible. Here, the primary focus is
expository/informational writing. Short sections about such topics as audience,
pacing, using numbers and domain-specific vocabulary effectively, the role of
text features and graphics, text scaffolding, using quotations, and the value
of analogies provide illuminating examples and helpful summary lists of
actionable practices.

The second section focuses on narrative writing and includes a variety of
ripped-from-the-headlines examples that will seem relevant to readers of all
ages. I was excited to see step-by-step analysis of nonfiction passages,
clearly explaining the writer’s techniques and how they got it right. Even
better, in a few cases, Clark also includes process commentary from the writers
themselves. The examples are just what writing teachers at all levels need.

Although I’d never heard of Clark before an ARC of Tell It Like It Is
was sent to me by the publisher, it turns out he’s written several other books
about nonfiction craft. You better believe I’ll be reading those in the coming
months.