I believe that kids as well as adults are entitled to books of no socially redeeming value.
If you want to be a writer, don't worry so much about writing. Read as much as you can. Read as many different writers as you can. Soak up the styles.
A real New Yorker likes the sound of a garbage truck in the morning.
At least I can write.
I've lived in New York for 40 years. I came right after college.
Most fears are basic: fear of the dark, fear of going down in the basement, fear of weird sounds, fear that somebody is waiting for you in your closet. Those kinds of things stay with you no matter what age.