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The Book Whisperer
Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child

Donalyn Miller (Author), Jeff Anderson (Foreword by)

9780470372272

Paperback / softback, published 3 April 2009

240 pages
23.2 x 18.3 x 1.5 cm, 0.32 kg

[Starred review] Miller, a sixth-grade language arts and social studies teacher and blogger, has enabled students of many different backgrounds to enjoy reading and to be good at it; her students regularly score high on the Texas standardized tests. Her approach is simple yet provocative: affirm the reader in every student, allow students to choose their own books, carve out extra reading time, model authentic reading behaviors, discard timeworn reading assignments such as book reports and comprehension worksheets, and develop a classroom library filled with high-interest books. Her students regularly read more than 40 books in a school year and leave her classroom with an appreciation and love of books and reading. Miller provides many tips for teachers and parents and includes a useful list of ultimate reading suggestions picked by her students. This outstanding contribution to the literature is highly recommended for teachers, parents, and others serving young students.—Mark Bay, Univ. of the Cumberlands Lib., Williamsburg, KY (Library Journal, March 15, 2009)

"Mrs. Miller's message was powerful, yet simple. She reminded educators of the simplest way to foster a love for reading: let students read for fun without asking for a book report when they are done." (The Examiner, November 4, 2009)

Turn any student into a bookworm with a few easy and practical strategies

Donalyn Miller says she has yet to meet a child she can't turn into a reader. No matter how far behind Miller's students might be when they reach her 6th grade classroom, they end up reading an average of 40 to 50 books a year.

Miller's unconventional approach dispenses with drills and worksheets that make reading a chore. Instead, she helps students navigate the world of literature and gives them time to read books they pick out themselves. Her love of books and teaching is both infectious and inspiring.

In the book, you'll find:

  • Hands-on strategies for managing and improving your own school library
  • Tactics for helping students walk on their own two feet and continue the reading habit after they've finished with your class
  • Data from student surveys and end-of-year feedback that proves how well the Miller Method works

The Book Whisperer includes a dynamite list of recommended "kid lit" that helps parents and teachers find the books that students really like to read.

Foreword, by Jeff Anderson, author and literacy staff developer ix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 There and Back Again 7

Chapter 2 Everybody Is a Reader 19
Whisper STUDENT SURVEYS 39

Chapter 3 There’s a Time and a Place 47

Chapter 4 Reading Freedom 69
Whisper READER’S NOTEBOOKS 99

Chapter 5 Walking the Walk 103

Chapter 6 Cutting the Teacher Strings 119
Whisper END-OF-YEAR EVALUATIONS 153

Chapter 7 Letting Go 159
Afterword, by Ron D. Myers, principal 179

Appendix A: The Care and Feeding of a Classroom Library 183
Appendix B: Ultimate Library List 193
Appendix C: Student Forms 201
References 213
Index 217
Acknowledgments 225
About the Author 228
About the Sponsor 228
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