A long time ago, I saw something on Pinterest titled “Beyond PIE: Teaching Author’s Purpose.” It made me laugh because, as much as I love PIE, it gives student (and teachers) the impression that the author’s purpose always fits into one of three neat categories: persuade, inform, entertain. Of course a nonfiction book can be entertaining, and a novel can do much to persuade, so PIE only takes us so far. It can also obscure what I want to talk about today: author’s craft. When discussing author’s craft, we’re asking students to see beyond the page and infer the author’s motive, or purpose. What is the author trying to say?…
