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www.ralphfletcher.com

A Writer's Notebook By: Ralph Fletcher

Recommended by April Camp: This book is an outstanding way to really get your students involved in the wet up of their writer's notebook. It makes a great read aloud with funny stories that show examples of different notebooking processes. It begins with "What is a writer's notebook", and then goes into different types of writing that would be good to use in your writer's notebook. I have used this book several times when I was teaching third grade and they loved it. Sometimes it can be a little long but it is easy to skip through and use what you want from it. It is quick and easy for you, the teacher, to read a head of time in order to figure out just what parts you want to read.

Spider Boy By: Ralph Fletcher

Recommended by April Camp 

So far this book is a bit on the interesting side with a touch of "I don't know what is going to happen next". This boy moves away from his friends and finds that a spider is his only friend right now. Each chapter starts off as a journal entry into his spider journal. It has brought on some great ideas of doing research with my class next year and having them keep a journal such as his for each nine weeks on a different topic of their choice. I am anxious to finish reading it but time has just gotten away from me. This book was great. I can't wait to use it with my boys. I have actually talked to them about the book and my idea of using it for the last nine weeks and they seemed really excited about doing it. I am anxious to try out my idea and see how it works with the boys and if it does I want to do this the whole year starting with this book as my first read aloud chapter book. I don't want to give away too many secrets from the book but I ca say that it is definitely of interest and you should try it. If you have a lot of boys or teach science or want some new ideas of doing journaling activities this book is for you.

Book Review:I am not a big fan of spiders but this book really kept me wanting more. I couldn't put it down most days because just when i think something is over a new adventure starts up. This book is filled with fun facts about spiders and also leads students in journal writing. It gave me the wonderful idea of inspiring my boys to do some research on topics of their choice and to help get them interested in journaling. At first they all looked at me and said "Isn't that what girls do?" After I started reading Spider Boy to them they got really into journaling and couldn't wait until the next day so that they could go and get books on a topic of their choice. Spider Boy is filled with creative imaginations, real life situations for young children growing up in a world where people are not always nice, and cliff hangers that keep you coming back for more. This book would have to receive 2 thumbs up on the Camp rating scale. Not to mention how much my boys are enjoying it, when they like a book I know it has to be good because they don't like everything.

 Fig Pudding by Ralph Fletcher

Recommended by Lindsay Blanton

This is the chapter book I've been reading by Ralph Fletcher.  Before this class I had only read professional books and the picture books shown by Ralph Fletcher.  By looking up his books, I've seen how many he has written and didn't realize it.  Fig Pudding is a great chapter book for young students to read.  The book is about the Abernathy family with the oldest boy, Cliff, narrating the story.  Ralph Fletcher takes you into the life of this family and makes you feel so connected to keep.  Every story seems real and you want to laugh and cry throughout the book.  I'm not completing finished, but will post more when I do.

Twilight Comes Twice

by Ralph Fletcher. 

Recommended by Kim Sutherland. This book is about how twilight comes twice a day.  Fletcher uses vivid imagery and great  personification so well in this book by giving the dawn and dusk those human qualities.  For example,  "With invisible arms dawn erases the stars from the blackboard of night."  He also does a great job creating the mood of stillness and quiet during the time that each twilight occurs.  His words bring the images to such life you feel yourself within the experience. My students did a great job in groups completing a noticing chart of the book and they were fully engaged in the text as I read it aloud. One line my students really liked was, " three robins hop through wet grass shopping for breakfast worms."  The verb shopping they loved that word because of the personification with the birds.   Great read for any student!!

The Sandman

By: Ralph Fletcher

Recommended by: April Camp

This book was outstanding. Starts as a fairy tale and gives you a look into where the "Sandman" came from. The story brings in the mythical idea of a dragon scale having the power to put people to sleep. The pictures are out of this world. My fourth grade boys loved it. We used it a lot for visualization and making predictions. A must read book.

Hello, Harvest Moon

By: Ralph Fletcher

Recommended by Lindsay Blanton

I LOVE this book!  It is so beautiful.  I've always pulled it it out as a Fall seasonal book, but I after using it with classes and rereading it most recently for the book club opened my eyes to so many possibilities for this book.  The book takes you to the harvest moon and all it does during the night, the sweetest part is the end when it says good night, harvest moon at daybreak when the moon leaves for a little while.  This book is very poetic and has alliteration, visualization, great vocabulary and nonfiction pieces.  It is recommended by Lester Laminack for its beautiful language and that is exactly what this book has!

Recommended by Kim Sutherland.  This book is very user friendly about how to teach students to write independently various writing skills, and Fletcher gives excerpts from his books using the technique.  This would definitely be a great resource for every teacher to have.

 A Writing Kind of Day Poems for Young Poets

by Ralph Fletcher

Recommended by Lindsay Blanton.  I knew about this book, but didn't study it closely until this book chat group.  It is absolutely precious!  I love it!  The book is filled with poems for young students -upper elementary to middle school.  Very "slice of life" type poems about school and many of the poems are based on how difficult writing poetry can be.  Students would find it humorous and inspirational to write their own poems! 

Book Review on Amazon.com for A Writing Kind of Day

A Writing Kind of Day by Ralph Fletcher is a Must-Have Kind of Book!  Teachers will love adding this poetry book to their classroom library.  It is a great resource for teaching poetry and pulling out the author's craft in each particular poem.  The poems are school-themed and will grab the attention of any young writer.  My favorite poem is "Poetry Recipe" in which each stanza describes the struggle for beginning to sit down and write a poem.  It will make you want to pick up your pencil and open up your writer's notebook because it is A Writing Kind of Day!!

BOOK REVIEW:  recommended by Kim Sutherland.  This book I have been reading aloud to my 4th grade students and they really like it.  It is about a class that the substitute teacher doesn't show up one day and the class goes through the entire day without their teacher and the principal or office doesn't know.  It is written like a diary using the various times of the day to start each chapter.  It starts off sort of slow, but the kids are enjoying the dialogue the students in the class have and are connecting with their character within the book.  The characters personality and lines are becoming predictable as the story progresses.  We are about 3/4 of the way through it so not sure the ending yet.  My kids are enjoying the books we have read by Ralph Fletcher and they are checking his books out on their own in the library now.