Relates anecdotes and vignettes that demonstrate the role of relationships in learning to read. Makes the point that learning to read, and learning to love reading, owe a great deal to the nature of the human relationships that occur around and through books. (SR)

Suggests that nonfiction, in the world of books for children and adolescents, has been far too narrowly (and too negatively) defined. Describes the author's nonfiction writing as "creative nonfiction" and demonstrates how she incorporates real life experiences, intensive personal reflection, and intensive research in her books. (SR)

Examines positive and negative influences of the popular Goosebumps series for children. Examines why children find these books so appealing. Critiques the series' reliance on violence, materialistic values, and white middle-class characters. Discusses ways teachers, librarians, and parents can take advantage of the series' popularity to have…

Describes how the district committee of the West Des Moines Schools (Iowa) changed its reading program. Explains how the role of a basal was redefined, how trade books were incorporated, how the program encouraged independent reading, and how writing was given a major role in reading class. (JK)

Reflects on the author's own personal background as a reader, including how television led her to more books and sparked her interest in a literary career. Discusses why, in a technological society, people care about literature. Argues that the Internet has its valuable uses, and that literature and technology can be good friends. (SR)

Tells the story of Mario, a high school student who struggled with school and with anger, but who found a story (by Ray Bradbury) which engaged his interest, a connection which helped him, in a key moment, look to a hopeful future rather than a difficult past. (SR)

Notes several kinds of book clubs (for adults, children, and both) and the joys of sharing reading with others. Discusses 32 children's books (books of poetry, lessons for young writers, on the realities of young people's lives, and books that lead to talk about real heroes) that lend themselves to passionate and spirited book talk. (SR)

Describes how the author became concerned that she and other teachers were focusing so much on reading levels that other ways of describing children as readers were being ignored and devalued. Describes how she involved her students in engagements to examine and challenge the ways students were describing and defining themselves as readers. (SR)

Presents an imaginary correspondence between a journal editor and a potential author, which both presents arguments for the use of audio books (describing their great potential for heightening students' pleasure in literature and increasing access to books) and exposes many educators' continued resistance to the use of audio books in school…

Describes one second-grade student's interaction with the picture books of Gerald McDermott. Describes the classroom context, and discusses McDermott's work. Describes the child's thoughtful and creative responses to McDermott's picture books in a classroom that supported students' explorations. Notes the importance of engaging children in…

Argues that the primary value of literature lies within the work itself, an appreciation of it, and the connections readers make to it. Discusses how a reader response approach offers one way to open the door for children to the lived-through experience of literature as art with intrinsic value. (SR)

Discusses three recent books that focus on discussion as a way of engaging children, of helping them deepen their understandings of themselves and the books they read, and of structuring a literature-based curriculum that supports their comprehension and critical reading development. (SR)

Discusses how curriculum can be designed so that it has the transforming power to change lives and transform words and actions, especially through literature study. Describes a group of third-graders' transactions with Patricia Polacco's "Chicken Sunday" to show how a "narrative curriculum" can be transformative. Discusses distinctive features of…

Discusses poststructuralist theories and describes how they can be useful in explaining the phenomenon of children's gendered literature preferences. Offers insights into the complexities of gender and its connections with reading fiction. Discusses children's reading preferences in school, the publishing industry, the school curriculum, and…

Shares a classroom vignette illustrating ways in which the author shared her own feelings about books as a demonstration to her students, demonstrating why a reader values a certain text, how reading can help readers see the world with a fuller insight, and how literature can help readers come to terms with real-life situations. (SR)