Ralph Fletcher

When the substitute for Mr. "Fab" Fabiano never shows up and his sixth-grade students are on their own, they set out to prove that they can run the class by themselves. With a little ingenuity and some careful planning, they might just succeed. But when a fight breaks out between Bastian Fauvell and Rachel White over a classmate, Tommy Feathers, who died six months earlier, everything begins to fall apart. Can Rachel deal with the anxieties that plunged her into silence the day Tommy died? Inventive and uniquely constructed, "Flying Solo" follows Mr. Fab's students hour by hour as they tackle the challenges of an unusual school day.

Flying Solo

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. I wrote this book to give you some practical strategies to throw into your toolbox. I hope you'll try them, because these are ideas that can make you a better writer. This book is titled Live Writing, and you may be wondering what I mean by that. Most of us have read (and written!) the opposite kind of writing-dull, drab language that sounds about as interesting as a city phone book. By "live writing" I mean the kind of writing that has a current running through it-energy, electricity, juice. When we read "live writing", the words seem to lift off the page and burrow deep inside us.

Breathing Life into Your Words

Live Writing

Unlocking the Writer Within You

Writer's Notebook

Clifford Allyn Abernathy III (just Cliff, for short) is the oldest of six kids in a family that does everything—fighting, laughing, playing, eating, telling stories, and celebrating the holidays—in a big, often outlandish, and sometimes poignant way. Taking the family from Christmas to Christmas, the chapters of Fig Pudding, narrated by eleven-year-old Cliff, are complete short stories in themselves. Read together, they tell the tale of life in a large, loving family. Besides a fresh look, this edition includes a brand new story.

Fig Pudding

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.

When I Was a Kid

Marshfield Dreams

Michael J Sandel

Timothy Egan

George Washington

Gary Soto

Joseph Bruchac

Pat Conroy

Anna Quindlen

William Sloane Coffin

Mario Cuomo

Alexandra Stoddard

Nawal Nasrallah

Molly Ivins

Alan Ehrenhalt

Jeremy Lee

Scott Pitoniak

Madge McKeithen

Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos

Jacinto Jesús Cardona

Shadi Feddin

Valerie Gribben

Alexandre Hollan

Geeta Kothari

Yuyi Li

Emily Lisker

Kamaal Majeed

Raquel Sentíes

David E. Skaggs

KellyNoel Waldorf

Ying Ying Yu

A chorus of essays from a variety of voices, backgrounds, and experiences, exploring what it means to be human and true to yourself. What does it mean to be yourself? To be born here or somewhere else? To be from one family instead of another? What does it mean to be human? Collected by Lori Carlson-Hijuelos, A Path to the World showcases essays by a vast variety of luminaries—from Gary Soto to Nawal Nasrallah to Ying Ying Yu, from chefs to artists to teens to philosophers to politicians (keep your eyes peeled for a surprise appearance by George Washington)—all of which speak to the common thread of humanity, the desire to be your truest self, and to belong. Contributors include: Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos, Joseph Bruchac, Jacinto Jesús Cardona, William Sloane Coffin, Pat Conroy, Mario Cuomo, Timothy Egan, Alan Ehrenhalt, Shadi Feddin, Ralph Fletcher, Valerie Gribben, Alexandre Hollan, Molly Ivins, Geeta Kothari, Jeremy Lee, Yuyi Li, Emily Lisker, Kamaal Majeed, Madge McKeithen, Nawal Nasrallah, Scott Pitoniak, Anna Quindlen, Michael J. Sandel, Raquel Sentíes, David E. Skaggs, Gary Soto, Alexandra Stoddard, KellyNoel Waldorf, George Washington, and Ying Ying Yu.

Becoming You

A Path to the World

A few notes on cruelty to animals; on the inadequacy of penal law, on general hospitals for animals

Tap into your inner writer with this book of practical advice by the bestselling author of How Writers Work and the ALA Notable Book Fig Pudding. This middle grade book is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom. Writers are just like everyone else—except for one big difference. Most people go through life experiencing daily thoughts and feelings, noticing and observing the world around them. But writers record these thoughts and observations. They react. And they need a special place to record those reactions. Perfect for classrooms, A Writer’s Notebook gives budding writers a place to keep track of all the little things they notice every day. Young writers will love these useful tips for how to use notes and jottings to create stories and poems of their own.

A Writer's Notebook

This warm and practical guidebook by celebrated author and educator Ralph Fletcher demystifies the teaching of writing and shows how to engage every student. Celebrated author and educator Ralph Fletcher provides a practical and illuminating guide to writing workshop for both new and veteran teachers that details the best ways to get started, the components that are vital, and what it takes to sustain a successful workshop across the school year. Fletcher, a wise and witty writing companion, shows us why encouraging choice, purpose, and play helps students find their voices and produce strong, effective writing. The Writing Teacher's Companion features indispensable information about how to create, launch, and sustain an effective writer's workshop. Learn what choice, voice, writing purpose, and play have to do with encouraging abundant highly effective student writing. Learn how your writing attitude (and your own experiences as a writer) work to shape your students' developing writing aptitude.

Embracing Choice, Voice, Purpose & Play

The the Writing Teacher's Companion

Do you have students whose nonfiction writing is formulaic, devoid of energy and voice? In Making Nonfiction from Scratch bestselling PD and children's book author Ralph Fletcher offers a candid critique of how nonfiction writing is often taught in schools and gives teachers the inspiration and strategies they need to help their students write authentic nonfiction. Skilled nonfiction writers draw on strategies, techniques, and craft found in other genres: poetry, comedy, even mystery. Without those elements, nonfiction would be dry and dull. Making Nonfiction from Scratch helps bring all of those aspects together and shows how each genre can enrich nonfiction writing. Ralph emphasizes the power of choice, mentor texts, and nonfiction read-alouds in making nonfiction an everyday part of classrooms. "Classroom Connection" sections throughout the book suggest immediate, practical strategies for putting the ideas in the book to use. Two case studies and a chapter on the dos and don'ts of nonfiction writing instruction round out this short, practical book. Any informational writing should be insightful, accurate, and well organized - but it doesn't have to be boring. Ralph invites you to make your classroom a place where students can create delicious nonfiction full of passion, voice, and insight.

Making Nonfiction from Scratch

How Photography Enhances the Teaching of Writing

Focus Lessons

In New York, fourteen-year-old Matt spends the summer of 1973 digging clams to earn money for his own boat and falling for Jazzy, a beautiful and talented girl from Hawaii who happens to be his first cousin.

The One O'Clock Chop

Ralph Fletcher

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