Readers' advisors are tasked with suggesting leisure reading materials to library patrons. The current discourse within the field has it that these advisors ought to adhere to (what I am calling) a "pure preference satisfaction model" wherein they aim to satisfy readers' existing preferences without judging or attempting to alter them.…

Teachers can use expository texts to teach academic vocabulary, content knowledge, text structure, and text features. National associations' recommended book lists are often used to identify books for classrooms. Previously we identified expository texts on these lists from 2001-2002 and 2011-2012. The current study explored instructional…

Summer's the time for teachers to travel, not only physically from the confines of the classroom to exotic places, but vicariously, through the magic of books. Summer adventures help teachers expand their experience and enrich their store of context so that they can offer their students more when school resumes in the fall. That's why each year…

A course's reading list is the skeleton of a semester's body of thought, the inventory that a professor writes up for the departmental Web site and the schedule of courses that lists the goods. Despite the obvious utility of fixed reading lists, one should jettison them when possible. The author has been conducting an informal experiment using a…

Literary journeys expand readers' intellectual and emotional worlds, helping them gain understanding of global situations and insight into the human condition. The "here" they know becomes broader through outstanding international literature. When choosing books for the 2011 United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)…

According to historian Gary W. Gallagher, "Books about the Civil War have accumulated at the rate of more than a title a day since fighting erupted at Fort Sumter in April 1861." Now, 150 years later, children's authors and illustrators continue to approach this fascinating era in inventive ways. The past decade has brought readers rich portrayals…

This article presents a list of ALSC's notable children's books for younger readers, middle readers and older readers. It also presents a list of YALSA 2011 best fiction for young adults. Great graphic novels for Teens are included.

This feature offers an archive of articles and books published in other venues during the past year (2009) and serves as a valuable tool to readers of "Reading in a Foreign Language" (RFL). It treats any topic within the scope of "RFL" and second language reading. The articles are listed in alphabetical order, each with a complete reference as…

With the exhibits at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center open just two days, the show floor at this year's BEA was a real free-for-all, with lots of traffic from the moment the doors opened on Wednesday, May 26. But for LJ's review editors, it was worth enduring stubbed toes and rattled nerves to find fresh and interesting titles. In this…

Legend has it that when Archimedes made a discovery related to water displacement, he leapt out of a bath declaring, "Eureka!" Whether true or not, the tale serves as a symbol for the notion that a burst of inspiration can lead to an exciting new discovery. Most books about inventions, however, tell a different story. The path from the germ of an…

As reading professionals and former middle school teachers, we believe it is essential for teachers to select books thoughtfully, understand the relationship between book selection and student motivation and engagement, and realize the importance of classroom instruction during the reading of literature. Teachers strive to help middle school…

By understanding how the brain works, educators are better equipped to help students with everything from focusing attention to increasing retention. That's the promise of brain-based learning, which draws insights from neurology, psychology, technology, and other fields. Bringing this information to the classroom can help teachers engage diverse…

This is an Instructional Module for a course entitled Assessment and Instruction for Educational Leaders addresses classroom assessment and the evaluation of instruction. The goal of this course is to help aspiring educational leaders to develop teacher observation and evaluation skills, better understand the construction of teacher generated…

Readers' advisory with middle schoolers does not come easily. In an effort to expand students' reading horizons, the author describes how to teach students to speak intelligently and thoughtfully about their book preferences. She cites Joyce Saricks's "Readers' Advisory Service in the Public Library" (ALA, 2005), a book that gave her the clarity…

Audiobooks are excellent tools to help students build literacy skills as well as improve listening, writing, and vocabulary competencies. In many shared or independent reading situations, audiobooks offer support to reluctant and struggling readers, special-needs students, and English-language learners. They are also embraced by voracious readers.…