What a great book by Jules Feiffer . Not only the book shows us how reading helps imagination, but also writing is very important as well. The book shows us how writing specially creative writing helps us go above and beyond imagination. Fro, one universe to another our main character travels from one place to another without lifting a finger , just with the help of writing. I truly believe that will be a great book to help children be involved in creative writing , and be taught during enrichment or during regular ELA class. ( )

I loved this book because I think any child would be able to relate to it. Kids hate when their parents scold them. Since in the story, Raymond travels to different settings and story lines, I think it is a fun book. I can definitely relate to Raymond not wanting to be where he is in real life, and imagining he is on an adventure. I think the theme is to not take real life for granted, since at the end of the book Raymond misses his home. ( )

In this exciting graphic novel/comic book like story, the main character Raymond is desperately trying to avoid the calls of his mother while he is laying on his bed. That's when he discovers the power of writing his own story using the word "Meanwhile" to change his location. By writing the word "Meanwhile" on any surface, Raymond transports himself to various action-packed adventures that leaves him in quite a pickle!

This is a humorous and fun read. The graphic novel/comic book style of story may be much more enticing for reluctant readers. The story is fast-paced with creative and entertaining illustrations that bring humor into the story. The word "Meanwhile", a transition word, can also be taught using this book as a creative way to introduce transition words. Students can also use this book as a springboard for creative writing and using the word "Meanwhile" to shift scenes in their own adventure stories.
Awards:
Keystone to Reading Book Award for Intermediate (1999)

Award Descriptions:
Keystone to Reading Book Award for Intermediate: The Keystone to Reading Book Awards has two divisions, Elementary and Secondary.
The book needs to have been published within the last year. At least two reading educators read and rate the book, and then the committee reviews those books with ratings of 8 and above on a 10 point scale.

APA Citation:
Feiffer, J. (1997). Meanwhile--. New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins. ( )

I would use this book in the classroom as an example of a way to write your own story. It is a great example of how far your imagination can take you while sharing the lesson that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. ( )

The thing I liked best about this book were the illustrations. They were laid out in the style of a comic, and considering the main character, Raymond, was described as moving throughout different storylines (wild west, pirate ship, outer space,) they definitely added to the dynamic feel of the book. Another thing I liked about this book was it’s out of the box thinking style. The main character realized that he was in a book, and uses words such as “meanwhile” and “the end” to further the plot of the story whenever he ran into mortal peril. For example, when Raymond was stuck on a pirate ship and forced to walk the plank, he made one last request- to write a letter to his mother. When given parchment and ink to do so, he wrote “meanwhile…” on the scroll, and was instantly transported to the wild west. This is the kind of book that fosters creative thinking in children, and I think this is the main idea the book was trying to get across. ( )