Cheryl Klein, author of The Magic Words, will host a live verbal critique of 10 participants' first 1,000 words of a Middle Grade or Young Adult manuscript on December 9, from 7-9 pm on Zoom. Participants have the option to register for a paid critique or to come to the meeting for free to observe the critiques only. Participants' first 1,000 words are due to CJ Penko by Tuesday, November 26th at 9 pm. Cheryl will receive your manuscript and review it beforehand, but all feedback will be live. This is a FANTASTIC opportunity to hear from an expert on how to hook a reader (or agent!) from the very start! ABOUT CHERYL: Cheryl Klein is the editorial director at Workman Kids Trade, an imprint of Workman Publishing / Hachette Book Group, where she publishes books in all hardcover age categories. She is also the author of two adult books, including The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults, and five picture books, including the forthcoming It’s Hard to Be a Baby. Prior to her work at Workman Kids Trade, she spent five years as the editorial director of Lee & Low Books, and sixteen years as an editor at Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic. Find her online at cherylklein.com, @cherylklein.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @chavelaque on Instagram.