The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child - Softcover

Miller, Donalyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470372273 ISBN 13: 9780470372272

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2009

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Donalyn Miller teaches 6th grade language arts and social studies at Trinity Meadows Intermediate School in Keller, Texas. She also writes an ongoing blog for teachermagazine.org. The book is published in partnership with Education Week Press (www.edweek.org).

From the Back Cover

"... a primer of the heart on how to make reading magical again."*
―Carol Ann Tomlinson

Donalyn Miller is a dedicated teacher who says she has yet to meet a child she couldn’t turn into a reader. In The Book Whisperer, Miller takes us inside her 6th grade classroom to reveal the secrets of her powerful but unusual instructional approach. Rejecting book reports, comprehension worksheets, and other aspects of conventional instruction, Miller embraces giving students an individual choice in what they read combined with a program for independent reading. She also focuses on building a classroom library of high-interest books, and above all on modeling appropriate and authentic reading behaviors. Her zeal for reading is infectious and inspiring, and the results speak for themselves. No matter how far behind Miller's students may be when they start out, they end up reading an average of 40 books per year, achieve high scores on standardized tests, and internalize a love for reading that lasts long after they’ve left her class.

Travel alongside the author as she leads her students to discover the ample rewards of reading and literature. Brought to life with Miller's passionate voice, The Book Whisperer will help teachers support students of all levels on their path to reading success. It also includes an invaluable list of books that Miller's students most enjoy reading.

"Miller's new book, The Book Whisperer, is a breath of fresh air. Powerful and practical, this book will support you as you change your classroom for the better while helping you to understand how to overcome current classroom cultures where some children learn and many learn to hate reading."
―Richard L. Allington, Ph.D., University of Tennessee

"In The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller deftly describes the inherent need children have to engage with books, intellectually and emotionally. The book is a timely and rare gift for teachers."
―Ellin Oliver Keene, author and consultant

*"This book reminds anyone―who is lucky enough to have loved a book―what classrooms and kids have lost in our frenzy to 'cover' content and standardize student performance in the name of reading. This is a primer of the heart on how to make reading magical again."
―Carol Ann Tomlinson, William Clay Parish, Jr. Professor of Education, University of Virginia

From the Inside Flap

. . . a primer of the heart on how to make reading magical again.
--Carol Ann Tomlinson

Donalyn Miller is a dedicated teacher who says she has yet to meet a child she couldn't turn into a reader. In The Book Whisperer, Miller takes us inside her 6th grade classroom to reveal the secrets of her powerful but unusual instructional approach. Rejecting book reports, comprehension worksheets, and other aspects of conventional instruction, Miller embraces giving students an individual choice in what they read combined with a program for independent reading. She also focuses on building a classroom library of high-interest books, and above all on modeling appropriate and authentic reading behaviors. Her zeal for reading is infectious and inspiring, and the results speak for themselves. No matter how far behind Miller's students may be when they start out, they end up reading an average of 40 books per year, achieve high scores on standardized tests, and internalize a love for reading that lasts long after they've left her class.

Travel alongside the author as she leads her students to discover the ample rewards of reading and literature. Brought to life with Miller's passionate voice, The Book Whisperer will help teachers support students of all levels on their path to reading success. It also includes an invaluable list of books that Miller's students most enjoy reading.

Miller's new book, The Book Whisperer, is a breath of fresh air. Powerful and practical, this book will support you as you change your classroom for the better while helping you to understand how to overcome current classroom cultures where some children learn and many learn to hate reading.
--Richard L. Allington, Ph.D., University of Tennessee

In The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller deftly describes the inherent need children have to engage with books, intellectually and emotionally. The book is a timely and rare gift for teachers.
--Ellin Oliver Keene, author and consultant

This book reminds anyone--who is lucky enough to have loved a book--what classrooms and kids have lost in our frenzy to 'cover' content and standardize student performance in the name of reading. This is a primer of the heart on how to make reading magical again.
--Carol Ann Tomlinson, William Clay Parish, Jr. Professor of Education, University of Virginia

Reviews

Because she couldn’t find a book that showed her how to use her own love of books to imbue her elementary students with the same love, Miller, Teacher Magazine blogger, decided to write her own. She recalls her personal journey as a teacher and the surprise and disappointment of learning that book loving cannot be automatically passed on to students. No more having the whole class read the same novel. She gave her students questionnaires to determine their interests and personally selected stacks of books of possible interest to them, then allowed them to read independently—at least 40 books a school year. She recounts the experience of some students struggling and others exhilarated by the freedom to read. Miller’s tactics resulted in improvement in her students’ vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. She also saw students respect book suggestions that came from a reader’s passion rather than a teacher’s agenda. Miller includes reading lists, activities, questionnaires, and other resources. Although aimed at teachers, this book will also definitely appeal to parents interested in encouraging their children to read. --Vanessa Bush

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470372273
• ISBN 13: 9780470372272
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240