197: Harry Potter, Netflix, and Christian Media with Author and Screenwriter, N.D. Wilson

Published: Feb. 21, 2023, 10 a.m.

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N. D. Wilson has authored numerous middle grade fiction books, as well as non-fiction, including "Leepike Ridge\\u201d (a children\\u2019s adventure story) and \\u201c100 Cupboards\\u201d series. He has written and been the executive producer of a Netflix children\\u2019s series called \\u201cHello Ninja.\\u201d There are four seasons and it is highly ranked on Netflix. He has a great podcast called \\u201cStories are Soul Food.\\u201d It is one of Elisha\\u2019s favorite podcasts!

What is a middle grade novel? It is a sweet spot for 5th and 6th graders, as well as those heading into middle school. It is all of the intelligence, none of the hormones. N. D. wanted to write stories that had concrete endings, resolve/resolutions, the good guys won, and also be able to avoid content that he didn\\u2019t want to get into naturally and realistically. These stories mark the memories of kids and who they want to be in life, who brands them as they move forward. The last summer of your childhood is where a middle grade novel can hang out. You can have that happy ending in kid\\u2019s books. A big part of why he targets this demographic is because it\\u2019s a good moment of branding the imagination as kids become young adults moving forward with really great stories. If you love Narnia, The Hobbit, and stories that mark your imagination when you are 11, 12, 13, those stories stay with you in a really great permanent way.

N.D. said that \\u201cwhen it comes to content, what I want is not to protect my kids from things with which they disagree. I want to equip them to disagree. I want them to have clear eyes and a vision for what is good and bad, dangerous and healthy, and thinking how would I change it and what would I do? I want them to be in the driver seat of authority. I don\\u2019t want my kids ever to consume any story of any kind like a baby bird, where they have their head back and mouth wide open. I want all of it to be active, engaged, tearing things apart and finding the good and bad. When it comes to narrative, they need to be really perceptive and picky. Pickiness meaning it takes a lot to impress them. They should develop instincts for truth, goodness and beauty and pulling those things out.\\u201d

You can learn more and follow N. D. Wilson through the resources below:
Books: https://ndwilson.com/words/
Website: https://ndwilson.com
Podcast: https://storiesaresoulfood.com
Netflix show: "Hello Ninja"

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