Synopses & Reviews
Bobby Steele and his pals, Marcus and Big Poobs, all public school kids from working class
backgrounds, are waiting for tenth grade to start when they come across an application form
for Whitestone Academy, a prestigious and posh private school. Just for giggles, they decide
that a nonexistent kid should applyand so Rowan Pohi is born. (Named for their favorite
hangout, Pohi is IHOP spelled backwards.) Amazingly enough, the phantom Rowan is accepted
at Whitestone. Eager to escape the boredom of public school and his unhappiness at home,
Bobby shows up at Whitestones new student orientation, reinventing himself as Rowan. He
begins a suspenseful career as an impostor, hoping that the two worlds hes living in will stay
separate forever. For a short, exhilarating time, they do. Ralph Fletchers signature light touch
in addressing serious issues in young peoples lives is evident in this story of identity lost and
found.
Review
"Creating and guiding a winning cast with a light, sure hand, Fletcher puts a fine, fresh spin on a familiar premise." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A quietly alluring mood piece that focuses on the twilight times when at dawn and dusk, Fletcher finds impressionistic images that Kiesler makes concrete. . . . Words and art coalesce into an invitation to readers to move beyond the page and into their own explorations of twilight." Kirkus Reviews
Review
Spending time with Grandpa is the best! His granddaughter especially loves to hear his stories. Grandpa has magical explanations for ordinary thingsa frosty windowpane, dewdrops sparkling on the grass, even his own bald headand Grandpa never lies. Whimsical humor and deep feeling are skillfully layered together in this touching, lyrical account of a grandpa and a granddaughter who love and trust each other."Richly hued acrylic illustrations complement the mood of the text...Suitable for read-alouds, but perhaps even better for sharing individually." School Library Journal
"This heartwarming story is a good choice for celebrating Grandparents DAy; it can also be used in a unit on seasons." Booklist, ALA
Review
Take it from Cliff, being the oldest of six kids is not easy under the best of circumstances. Who can be Mr. Reliable all the time? How do you deal with a brother who enjoys sitting under the kitchen table for punishment? Or explain to your sister that she can't divorce herself from the family just because they eat meat? Or figure out what your baby brother wants for Christmas when he asks for a yidda yadda? Told in the first person, each lively, humorous episode from Cliff's fifth-grade year focuses on one of the kids. Together they create a strong, satisfying story of a large, closely knit family."In a fresh, exuberant voice, eleven-year-old Cliff Abernathy III narrates a rollercoaster year in his family's life, beginning with Christmas and Grandma's visit. Chapters are colorful vignettes of celebrations, crises, and day-to-day events." School Library Journal
Review
While tired farmers and their families are in bed, the harvest moon silently climbs into the sky and starts working its magic. For some, it is the nightly signal to rise and shine. It is time to hunt, to work, or to play in the shadows. For a little girl and her cat, it is an invitation to enjoy the wonders of the night and a last flood of light before the short days of winter set in. With an evocative text and radiant illustrations, this companion to Twilight Comes Twice offers a glimpse of natures nightlife long after bedtime."pairs poetically intense writing with luminescent oils...rich in metaphor...peaceful reading either in season, or on any moonlit night." Kirkus Reviews
"lyrical offering...poetic prose...imaginative metaphors...draws readers into the text...luminous oil paintings...warm hues evoke homey, autumn scenes." SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL School Library Journal
"Impressionistic oil paintings ...Descriptive text...peaceful...the dark beauty of the illustrations captures the magic of nighttime." BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"a visual and linguistic pleasure...oil paintings gleam...text and art together create a sense of wonder...lyrical, child-friendly images" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Publishers Weekly
Review
"Hearts will go out to Bobby as he learns that being true to himself is as important as realizing his dreams."-Publishers Weekly
Review
"pairs poetically intense writing with luminescent oils...rich in metaphor...peaceful reading either in season, or on any moonlit night." Kirkus Reviews
"lyrical offering...poetic prose...imaginative metaphors...draws readers into the text...luminous oil paintings...warm hues evoke homey, autumn scenes." SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL School Library Journal
"Impressionistic oil paintings ...Descriptive text...peaceful...the dark beauty of the illustrations captures the magic of nighttime." BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"a visual and linguistic pleasure...oil paintings gleam...text and art together create a sense of wonder...lyrical, child-friendly images" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Publishers Weekly
Review
"Fletcher expertly balances a wide variety of emotions...thoughtful, absorbing novel...a story that will linger long after the book is closed." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
The rich and complex emotional lives within a classroom of unsupervised students boil toward eruption the day an exceptional teacher is absent....Fletcher creates a testament to effective teaching in his realistic portrait of Mr. Fabiano as both caring and intelligent. A novel that is funny, real, and often moving.
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Fletcher's text is by turns reassuring and practical in tone, providing tips that readers will find useful if facing a predicament like Nick's." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
Will the real Rowan Pohi please stand? To dispel boredom while waiting for tenth grade to begin, Bobby and his friends create an imaginary kid named Rowan Pohi (thats IHOP backwards) and apply to the prestigious Whitestone Prep in Rowans name. When, surprisingly, Rowans application is accepted, Bobby impulsively reinvents himself as Rowan and embarks on an edgy life of deception in the rarefied world of Whitestone. Told with Ralph Fletchers trademark blend of humor and depth, the story of Rowans rise and fall is a funny, poignant, and suspenseful riff on the adolescent search for identity.
Synopsis
Bored tenth grader Bobby Steele mixes things up by attending a prestigious prep school under the identity of Rowan Pohi—a student persona Bobby created with the help of his friends. How long can he keep up the charade before his suspenseful career as an impostor comes to an end?
Synopsis
“A funny and poignant tale. . . . Fletchers novel will resonate with fans of Chris Crutcher and Todd Strasser.” -
VOYA In this unsettling, entertaining young adult novel, Ralph Fletcher tells the story of Bobby Steele and his pals, three guys waiting for tenth grade to begin. Out of their boredom, the imaginary Rowan Pohi (thats IHOP backwards) is born. Bobby applies to the prestigious private school Whitestone Prep in Rowans name, and, amazingly, hes accepted. Eager to escape his public school and his unhappiness at home, Bobby becomes Rowan, hoping the two lives hes living will stay separate forever. For a short, exhilarating time, they do.
Synopsis
While tired farmers and their families are in bed, the harvest moon silently climbs into the sky and starts working its magic. For some, it is the nightly signal to rise and shine. It is time to hunt, to work, or to play in the shadows. For a little girl and her cat, it is an invitation to enjoy the wonders of the night and a last flood of light before the short days of winter set in. With an evocative text and radiant illustrations, this companion to Twilight Comes Twice offers a glimpse of natures nightlife long after bedtime.
Synopsis
Free-verse text describes the transition from day to night and from night to day, revealing the magic in these everyday moments.
Synopsis
Nicks parents always have a special surprise for him on his birthday, but this year he knows hell have the best birthday ever. Mom and Dad are taking him to the circus! The crowds and attractions are exciting, but Nick is accidentally separated from his parents. Even though he knows what to do if he gets lost, hes scareduntil a green-faced clown on towering stilts comes to his rescue. The bright colors and bustling energy of the circus shine from each of Vladimir Vagins lively illustrations in this touching story of a day filled with surprises.
About the Author
Ralph Fletcher is the versatile author of 30-some books, including (for young readers) novels, picture book texts, poetry, and books about writing, as well as books for writing teachers. Recipient of a master's degree in fiction from Columbia University, he worked in New York City classrooms for the Teachers College Writing Project, designed to help teachers develop better ways of teaching writing. He travels widely to teach writing and talk about his work. Mr. Fletcher lives in Durham, NH, with his wife and four sons. His website is www.ralphfletcher.com.