Boy Writers

Reclaiming Their Voices

By: Ralph Fletcher

Narrated by: Nathan Butler, Nathan Berner- Tobin, Pip Kolmar

Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Writing test scores indicate that boys have fallen far behind girls across the grades. In general, boys don't enjoy writing as much as girls. What's wrong? How can we do a better of job of creating "boy friendly" classrooms, so their voices can be heard?

In Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, Ralph Fletcher draws upon his years of experience as staff developer, children's book author, and father of four boys. He also taps the insights from dozens of writing teachers around the U.S. and abroad. Boy Writers asks teachers to imagine the writing classroom from a boy's perspective, and consider specific steps we might take to create stimulating classrooms for boys.

Topic choice emerges as a crucial issue. The subjects many boys like to write about (war, weapons, outlandish fiction, zany or bathroom humor) often do not get a warm reception from teachers. Ralph argues that we must "widen the circle" and give boys more choice if we want to engage them as writers. How? We must begin by recognizing boys and the world in which they live. Boy Writers explores important questions such as:

What subjects are boy writers passionate about, and what motivates them as writers?

Why do boys like to incorporate violence into their stories, and how much should be allowed?

Why do we so often misread and misunderstand the humor boys include in their stories?

Boy Writers does not advocate promoting the interests of boys at the expense of girls. Rather, it argues that developing sensitivity to the unique facets of boy writers will help teachers better address the needs of all their students.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2006 Ralph Fletcher (P)2007 Stenhouse Publishers

Critic reviews

"Written for anyone with an interest in helping young men and boys become enthusiastic and expressive writers." (Education Book Review)

Insightful and interesting

Great listen for anyone helping to raise boys and nurture their scholarship. I'm a high school teacher and used this book in my design and implementation of an ongoing writers workshop in my classroom and have been astounded at the enthusiasm of the students as well as the volume and quality of their writing since taking Mr. Fletcher's words into consideration. My young men and women have benefitted from my use of strategies from this book.

Helpful and inciteful

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes...as a teacher, I want to be able to help all of my students succeed in writing, but it wasn't until I experienced a male student crumpling in tears when asked to brainstorm that I realized I wasn't reaching all of children. This book was a great resource and tool to aid me in creating writers in spite of gender.

What did you like best about this story?

n/a

What aspect of the narrators’s performance would you have changed?

flat tone - nonfiction true but could have been more enthusiastic

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

n/a

Excellent resource

Much of what is said can be applied to girls, but good to see specific strategies for encouraging reluctant boys to read and write.