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Rating: 
Summary: stellar writing guide for teens
Review: I am a homeschooler and bought this book for my tenth grader. My 17-year-old daughter picked it up and read for several hours without a break. When she finished, she said, "I wish I'd had this when you were teaching me writing! It's fun, it talks to me, and it explains writing in ways I really understand."That is what I am finding as I teach from the book. The explanations about writing are lucid as well as entertaining. It is not the least like a textbook, yet the exercises are fantastic. Already, after just two months, I can see my son's writing improve. He enjoys the writer's style and actually looks forward to this "class" the most. I would highly recommend the book to any high school student or a precocious middle school student. Even if you're not homeschooling, your teens will learn a great deal about writing. The book does require hard work, but the pay-off is great: truly understanding the writing process and being able to apply it to both academic and life writing skills.
Rating:
Summary: The writer's manual I've been seeking
Review: Life requires we be able to communicate on paper. Our writing styles can be vastly different, but we must learn to control our material, to organize our thoughts, and to follow the rules of good English. Well before he could read-let alone write-my youngest nephew began regaling me with stories of his own creation. I won't say his early stories were spellbinding, but I was fascinated by his view of the world. His need to express himself, to entertain, to tell stories-clearly here was a kindred spirit, a budding writer on my family tree. He took to writing as I had. But with every story he handed to me he felt the need to offer a caveat, an explanation of what this meant or what that meant, where this idea came from and where this one was going. He had the creativity, but he lacked the tools he needed to share these ideas with others. My sister lamented the school's lack of focus on grammar and spelling and rules of organization. I saw her point. And so began my quest to help provide for him the tools he was lacking. A journey that has ended here, with the discovery of this writer's manual. Ms. McDonald's lively and provocative writing gives this the feel of a novel rather than a textbook. Many students are paralyzed by the thought of facing the blank page. They worry they have nothing to say, or that they cannot compete with the rest of the class, feeling that their own writing won't be good enough, that it won't measure up. In Writing: The Bridge Between Us, students gain confidence in their ability to put the English language down on paper and to identify the most common problems writers face. Ms. McDonald strips every sentence down to its bare building blocks: words. With wisdom and clarity she shows the reader how to choose words so that each one serves a purpose. This warm and humorous journey into the world of writing can help any student become more adept at using language-a skill that, once learned, will open many doors. Most importantly, Ms. McDonald understands that you learn to write by writing. This unique and exciting writer's manual engages the student in writing. Because the exercises and explanations are so entertaining, students learn good writing fundamentals without realizing it-and have fun in the process. Writing: The Bridge Between Us is a masterpiece in the art of clear and concise writing. Ms. McDonald's witty take on writing-and life-is sure to jumpstart even the most hesitant student.
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