Product Overview
Where great stories and grammar skills unite!
The Arrow creates a love of reading and writing through literature!
Our year-long program is delivered in nine month-long lesson plans, released monthly.
Each handbook is based on a novel and immerses your child in the world of:
- stories
- literary devices
- grammar
- punctuation
- and book club parties
Find out why the Arrow has been the most popular writing program in Brave Writer history!
It's possible to learn grammar and literary devices naturally, in conversation, through playful activities. We show you how!
Our program uses the time-tested practices of copywork and dictation as the key tools to learn punctuation, spelling, and grammar naturally in context. We teach you four methods for applying those practices to literature and writing.
Each handbook contains:
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Notes to go with a selected read aloud (book not provided)
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Four passages taken from the novel for copywork and dictation, one per week
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Easy-to-follow instructions to teach writing elements found in the passages
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Playful and effective grammar and punctuation activities that kids love
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A simple, delightful writing exercise to apply lessons
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Nine comprehension questions
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Book club party ideas
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Copywork passages on separate printable pages
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Four-color design that looks gorgeous on tablets or printed at home
The Arrow program comes with Guidelines to help you implement copywork and dictation practices, as well as a planning tool and a writing skills tracker to help you stay attuned to your child's progress.
Start any time. Enjoy the published Arrows in any order. You will receive all nine by April 2026.
2025-2026 book list:
August: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
September: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steven Sheinkin
October: Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B. B. Alston
November: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
December: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
January: The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
February: Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
March: The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco
April: A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Swap one! This year, when you purchase the year-long program, you can swap one handbook in the program for a handbook in the Literature Singles collection. Find the swap form in your account after purchase.
Want mentorship to learn how to use Arrow? Join our Brave Writer Training Program!
Delivery: The Arrow is delivered to your Brave Writer online account once per month on the 15th. Each handbook (40-50 pages) is a non-consumable PDF and can be used with multiple children—no need to purchase additional copies.
Want a print copy? Go to the front of the line at the Homeschool Printing Company with a special Brave Writer offer. Order here.
Note: The Arrow is one part of the Middle School Writers Bundle. Get all three components of the Brave Writer program in one bundle.
About the Books
The Tale of Despereaux
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three...
The Bletchley Riddle
This thrilling WWII mystery—a collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin—is now in paperback!Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act…Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of...
Amari and the Despicable Wonders
War has come to the supernatural world, and Amari’s two worst enemies are leading the charge.Elaine Harlowe has manipulated her way into becoming prime minister, using her mind control ability to force the Bureau to take up her vicious grudge against magiciankind. Meanwhile, Dylan Van Helsing, the newly crowned leader of the League of...
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
When Kyle Keeley learns that the world’s most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he’s determined to be there! But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library—it’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other...
Impossible Creatures
The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever.It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.Mal...
The First State of Being
When twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed forever. From bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly, also the winner of the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, this novel explores themes of family, friendship, trust, and forgiveness. The First State of...
Will's Race for Home
Bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes goes West in this thrilling adventure story about a son and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush–if they can survive the journey. It’s 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working...
The Secret of Honeycake
Hurricane is quiet while her Aunt Claire is a force of nature with very particular ideas--and a host of Latin sayings to back them up. When Hurricane gets stuck living with her, she retreats into herself...until a series of unexpected friends, including a mangy cat, help her find her voice in a whole new way.A recipe for The World’s Most...
A Wish in the Dark
All light in Chattana is created by one man — the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no...
