Vol. 4 (2026): Leaf Journal: On Writing for Young People

Welcome to the fourth volume of Leaf Journal. This issue has six articles, looking at a variety of areas in writing for young people. Elizabeth Train-Brown asks what role inexperience plays in crafting a young adult voice. George Purves offers some creative techniques to write realistically (and possibly transformationally) about the subject of emetophobia. Noah Weisz considers what makes some books so re-readable with a close look at Frances Hardinge’s Cuckoo Song. Ruth Moore examines the term ‘time-slip’, asking how writers in this genre shape young readers’ understanding of the past. Edward Owen Davies asks how the mantra ‘nothing about us without us’ applies to the verse novel. Jo Baker’s paper looks at two recent YA works with queer antagonists, exploring how the writers avoided their villain’s queerness becoming a signifier for evil.

We would like to thank Lancaster University for additional financial support this year which allowed us to employ an editor to support the production of the volume. Our greatest thanks and admiration to that editor, Dr Kristien Potgieter, whose brilliant editing, proofreading and typesetting made the production so seamless. We remain ever-grateful to our College of Reviewers for their thoughtful input in making the work we publish robust, and to our Editorial Board for their support.

Published: 01.07.2026

Vol. 4 (2026): Leaf Journal: On Writing for Young People

Scholarly Articles

‘I Need To Learn – Am Learning’: How To Use Inexperience To Craft A Young Adult Voice In considering ways to craft a Young Adult voice, Elizabeth Train-Brown asks: what role does inexperience play?

The Second Reading and Beyond: Exploring Re-Readability in Children’s Novels Noah Weisz reflects on the ‘literary magic’ of re-readability with particular focus on Frances Hardinge’s ‘Cuckoo Song’.

Crossing the Line: Considering the Dual Accessibility of the Verse Narrative for Reluctant Readers and Young People with Mental Health Problems What might the philosophy of “nothing about us without us” mean for the verse novel? Edward Davies considers this question.

Time-Play: Slipping the Bounds of a Classic Children’s Genre Ruth Moore contemplates the term ‘time-slip’ and asks how writers in this genre-bending space might shape young readers’ understanding.

How to Write Queer Antagonists in YA Fiction Without Making Queerness a Signifier for Evil By analysing two recent titles, Jo Baker explores how YA authors can write queer antagonists without their queerness becoming a signifier for evil.

Towards True Sick Lit: How to Write a Productive YA Novel about Emetophobia Writer and emetophobia sufferer George Purves offers creative techniques to produce realistic and transformative depictions of the condition.