What's Your Story?
By Marion Dane Bauer
Clarion Books 1992
ISBN 0-395-57780-2

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
By Susan Asher
Walker and Company 1987
ISBN 0-8027-6690-0

Write Up a Storm with the Polk Street School
By Patricia Reilly Giff
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing 1993
ISBN 0-440-40882-2


The book "What's Your Story?" was not "fun" to read, but I had a hard time putting it down. So many times I have written a story and not been happy with the results. Now after this book, I know why. I have found that I would like to take a week to teach, discuss, and do each of the journaling activities suggested in this book. So many times we teach all the other modes, but never teach how to make a good fiction story. This was the best book of the group to help with teaching writing.
Contrary to "What's Your Story," "Where Do You Get Your Ideas" is fun to read. The excerpts and examples make it very engaging and a very fast read. This would be great for a student to actually read by themself. The best part, from my literacy perspective, of these books was the suggested and excerpted books. I am always looking for interestig books and the examples in this book show why each book would be a good read. This was the best self help book for students who like to write.

The last book "Write Up a Storm.." was cute and a very easy read. If I were working with early grades this would be a great book for a readaloud to prompt kids or prep them for writing. This was the best, simplified, writing process book for lower grades.

So many times we get stories from kids that have no depth. Use of these books will help any level of writer to improve their stories and avoid writer’s block. I greatly enjoyed the information in these books.