RALPH FLETCHER BOOK DESCRIPTIONS
Fig pudding (Paper Back)
An 11-year-old boy, the oldest of six children, chronicles a tumultuous year; Publishers
Weekly said that "this warm story... neatly blends the humor and frustrations of growing
up in a large family."
PRICE $7.00
Flying solo (Paper Back)
Gr 4-8-Fletcher follows members of a sixth-grade class through a day when their
substitute teacher never shows. The students decide not to report that they are alone and
to run the class by themselves. Personal issues are woven into the day's events. The
students learn about themselves and one another, and several issues are resolved by the
end of the day. The resolutions are simple but not pat, the prose is economical but not
sparse, and the characters are developed as sketches rather than in-depth portraits,
which helps keep the book moving briskly. The premise will make the novel easy to book
talk.
PRICE $6.00
Hello, harvest moon (Hard Back)
PreS-Gr 4-In this lyrical offering, the harvest moon rises on a quiet neighborhood and
bathes the silent streets in brilliant lunar light. Fletcher's poetic prose makes use of
gentle tempo and internal rhyme. Imaginative metaphors add to the text; as the moon
sets, it sprinkles "silver coins like a careless millionaire." Careful use of second-person
narrative draws readers into the text. Kiesler's luminous oil paintings portray the luscious
moon glow, and a refrained use of brush stroke captures the mystery of nighttime when
the familiar world becomes exotic, dazzling, and alive with nocturnal life. Warm hues evoke
homey, autumn scenes. Hello, Harvest Moon helps usher in the season and encourages
readers to connect with people throughout the ages who have marveled at the glorious
sight.
PRICE $17.00
How writers work : finding a process that works for you (Paper Back)
Gr 4-8-Fletcher focuses on the different ways professionals and students create a solid
piece of writing. In the introduction, he states that there is no secret formula, though he
manages to sustain the tone of one imparting a secret throughout the book. Processes such
as brainstorming, rough drafts, rereading and revising, proofreading, and publishing are
demystified through examples of students' writing and interviews with children's authors.
The style is conversational and the suggestions are general. The book doesn't cover
specifics of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. Instead, it suggests that any piece of writing
could become any one of these with a sufficient amount of work. The book makes
youngsters feel good about their writing without making light of the work involved.
PRICE $6.00
RALPH FLETCHER BOOK DESCRIPTIONS (CONTINUED)
Live writing : breathing life into your words
This book is based on the simple idea that every writer has a "tool box." Instead of awls
and hammers, a writer's toolbox contains words, imagination, a love of books, a sense of
story, and ideas for how to make the writing live and breathe. This book was written to
give some practical strategies to throw into your toolbox.
PRICE $6.00
Marshfield dreams : when I was a kid (Hard Back & Paper Back)
From the Publisher: The colorful boyhood of a popular author comes to life in this personal
account Imagine learning from a nosy classmate that your mother is having yet another
baby. To Ralph's classmates, news of one more Fletcher baby is just "scuttlebutt." But for
Ralph, the oldest of nine, being part of a large family means more kids to join in the fun
from making tripods in the woods and "snicking" up the rug, to raising chicks and even
discovering a meteor (well, maybe). It doesn't feel like there's life beyond Marshfield,
Massachusetts. Then one day Dad's new job moves the family to Chicago, and there's so
much Ralph has to leave behind. In this humorous and captivating memoir, Ralph Fletcher
traces the roots of his storytelling.
HARD BACK PRICE $18.00
PAPER BACK PRICE $10.00
Poetry matters : writing a poem from the inside out (Paper Back)
Gr 5-9-A concise, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating poetry. The book begins by defining
poems as "emotional X-rays" that seek to delve into a person's inner being. Chapters deal
with images; creating "music," or sounds and rhythms; how to generate ideas for poems;
the construction of the words on the page; and more. Tips on fine-tuning are also given,
from experimenting with wordplay to finding a voice and narrowing the focus of a piece.
Major poetic forms are defined, including haiku, ode, and free verse, and there is a section
on ways to share your work. Interspersed are Fletcher's personal insights and interviews
with three poets-Kristine O'Connell George, Janet S. Wong, and J. Patrick Lewis-who
discuss what inspires them and how they go about creating their work. The many examples
of poetry throughout embody the author's advice by showing how writing techniques
actually function in poems. Since this thought-provoking book covers more of the internal,
less-tangible aspects of poetry, it may be more suited for readers who have some
experience with the genre
PRICE $6.00
RALPH FLETCHER BOOK DESCRIPTIONS (CONTINUED)
The Sandman (Hard Back)
PreS-Gr 2-This fabulous story explains the origins of the Sandman. Tor is a tiny fellow
who finds a dragon's scale. Taking it home to his workshop, he studies it and then starts to
sharpen it. The dust that gathers makes him fall asleep. Once awake, it's a small leap for
him to imagine how helpful this dust will be to all who suffer from sleeplessness, especially
children. Fletcher's smoothly written story flows in a thoroughly plausible way and is
beautifully served by Cowdrey's vibrant acrylic paintings. Especially intriguing are the
wonderful little details, like Tor's mouse-drawn carriage made out of buttons. The oldfashioned look is refreshingly straightforward, free of irony and adult-oriented nostalgia.
All in all, this is a compelling story with pictures that add drama, charm, and atmosphere.PRICE $17.00
Spider Boy (Paper Back)
From the Publisher: Humorous story about a boy's adjustment to new surroundings and
kids in a new school. Packed with fascinating facts about spiders, the story is told through
journal entries and scenes of events. Contains a spider bibliography.
PRICE $6.00
Twilight Comes Twice (Hard Back)
PreS-Gr 2--In spare, poetic prose, Fletcher describes the twilight of mornings and
evenings, those two brief times of day that often seem to have magical qualities. He
personifies dawn and dusk and uses images and metaphors to evoke their special qualities
and events. Various shades of green, orange, and brown are used effectively to show how
the colors of things are transformed by twilight.
PRICE $17.00
Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking The Writer Within You Paper Back)
Writers are like other people, except for at least one important difference. Other people
have daily thoughts and feelings, notice this sky or that smell, but they don't do much
about it. Not writers. Writers react. And writers need a place to record those reactions.
That's what a writer's notebook is for. It gives you a place to write down what makes you
angry or sad or amazed, to write down what you noticed and don't want to forget . . . .
Discusses the various kinds of things to keep in a writer's notebook--seed ideas, mind
pictures, lists, memories, samples of other writers' work--and why. PRICE $6.00