Published by Scholastic Professional

Summary:  Book Whisperer Donalyn Miller and fellow Nerdy Book Club member Colby Sharp share insights about how to get kids to read a lot of books, across many genres, at school and at home, all through the year.  They address common issues: kids who don’t have access to books, kids who don’t like to read, finding time in a busy school day and in homes that are filled with other distractions. There are no easy answers, but if teachers are willing to put in the hard work of doing a lot of reading themselves and employing a variety of strategies, and administrators are willing to give teachers the autonomy to try those strategies, they will be rewarded with schools filled with enthusiastic readers.  In addition to the two authors’ experiences, there are stories from over twenty teachers and administrators. Includes a list of references, author bios of all the contributors, and an index. To get additional resources, you have to go to https://www.scholastic.com/pro/Game-Changer!.html; the password is “opportunities”.  144 pages.

Pros:  Teachers and librarians needing a shot in the arm in the middle of the school year will find inspiration here, as well as lots of new ideas to try in their schools and classrooms.  

Cons:  Too many times, the takeaway from books like this is “let kids read whatever they want”, which unfortunately leads to a lot of Diary of A Wimpy Kid and graphic novel reading (don’t ask me how I know this).  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if you read this book carefully, you’ll see how much work is required of teachers, librarians, and administrators to create readers who appreciate a deep variety of literature.  

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