Common Sense Media Review
By Polly Conway
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Delightful crash course warmly guides budding novelists.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Based on 13 kid reviews
Kids say that the website is a mixed bag, with many appreciating its supportive community and educational resources for young writers, while others have raised concerns about negative experiences related to mental health issues, cliques, and inappropriate content that sometimes slips through moderation. Overall, while it provides valuable writing tools and a positive environment for many, some users have highlighted instances of bullying and unregulated discussions that could impact younger participants.
- positive community
- educational resources
- moderation issues
- mental health concerns
- bullying instances
- diverse experiences
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
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Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
In this kid version of the National Novel Writing Month program, young writers accept the challenge to complete a novel between Nov. 1 and 30. It's a contest, but everyone who finishes wins. Kids choose their word count at the beginning, write their novel in a notebook or offline word processing program, then update their word count online throughout the month. Kids can share their ideas and questions in the forums and can fill out a profile and share excerpts of their novel-in-progress with Writing Buddies (fellow young writers).
Is It Any Good?
Taking their successful grown-up writing contest and adjusting for kid success, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program is wildly engaging and brimming with advice and encouragement. The front page features fun writing activities that can be pursued within a novel or on their own, including the Dare Machine, a prompt creator that dares kids to complete tasks like "Make one of your characters fall in love with the villain." Turning the huge task of writing a novel -- something that even most adults are intimidated by -- into a fun and doable challenge really works here. The folks behind NaNoWriMo are writers who understand the process and break it down beautifully for kids.
NaNoWriMo's concept of "winning" is outstanding: if you finish what you started, you've won! Kids also get to display a winner's badge on their page after verifying their word count.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
There's a NaNoWriMo for adults too; why not have all your family members start a novel in November? Families can support each other through the process, have weekly check-ins or readings, and celebrate the completion of novels at the end of the month.
If your kid is particularly proud of what they've accomplished (and they should be!), you can publish a copy of their book inexpensively through sites like Lulu, or simply print it out and have your kid illustrate a cover.
Website Details
- Subjects : Language & Reading : reading , storytelling , writing
- Skills : Creativity : brainstorming , imagination , producing new content , Self-Direction : achieving goals , goal-setting , work to achieve goals , Communication : conveying messages effectively , friendship building , multiple forms of expression , Thinking & Reasoning : decision-making , making conclusions , strategy , Emotional Development : moving beyond obstacles , persevering
- Genre : Creating
- Pricing structure : Free
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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