The book whisperer : awakening the inner reader in every child

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 p. ix
• Introduction p. 1
• Chapter 1 There and Back Again p. 7
• Chapter 2 Everybody Is a Reader p. 19
• Whisper Student Surveys p. 39
• Chapter 3 There's a Time and a Place p. 47
• Chapter 4 Reading Freedom p. 69
• Whisper Reader's Notebooks p. 99
• Chapter 5 Walking the Walk p. 103
• Chapter 6 Cutting the Teacher Strings p. 119
• Whisper End-of-Year Evaluations p. 153
• Chapter 7 Letting Go p. 159
• Afterword, by Ron D. Myers, Principal p. 179
• Appendix A The Care and Feeding of a Classroom Library p. 183
• Appendix B Ultimate Library List p. 193
• Appendix C Student Forms p. 201
• References p. 213
• Index p. 216
• Acknowledgments p. 225
• About the Author p. 228
• About the Sponsor p. 228