Marshfield Dreams

September 1, 2005
Gr 5-8 -Fletcher reminisces about growing up in Marshfield, VT, recalling boyhood friendships, sibling attachments, and romps through the woods. -We found all kinds of mushrooms. Some were edible, others were poisonous toadstools. Mom said to think of them as strangers -some are good, some are bad, and since you couldn't tell the difference it was best to leave them alone. - Fletcher grew up in a Catholic family that grew larger each year, and when another baby was on the way, he'd learn the news from a girl in his class. Family and friendships were fulfilling, enriching, and perplexing. The author thinks about the loss of Dad's goodnight kisses as he grew up, and the adolescent predicament of being pressed between a girl's body and a wall that housed a giant beehive. Fletcher's connection to nature and the environment infuse every aspect of his life. Written with sagacious eloquence and gentle humor, this work stands strong in the ranks of authors' memoirs and autobiographies. " -Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2005
Gr. 3-5. Fletcher, author of numerous books, including some on the writing process, pens a dreamy reminiscence of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in a Massachusetts coastal town. The oldest of his nine siblings, he notes that his "Mom had a baby every year." Embarrassingly enough, a know-it-all classmate usually informed him a new addition was on the way because Mom tended to tell her friends first. This bumper crop of siblings made for some boisterously good times, marked by escapades with backyard roosters and games in the woods. Readers may be particularly intrigued by Fletcher's memories of his great-grandmother, who buried the kids' old teeth in the garden. Many of the vignettes have a choppy style and a heavy nostalgic tone, but for readers who enjoy imagining what it was like to be a kid in days of yore, this has a certain charm.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)