From the Publisher: Donalyn Miller says she has yet to meet a child she couldn'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. The book includes a dynamite list of recommended "kid lit" that helps parents and teachers find the books that students really like to read.

Foreword -- Introduction -- 1: There and back again -- 2: Everybody is a reader -- Whisper: Student surveys -- 3: There's a time and a place -- 4: Reading freedom -- Whisper: Reader's notebooks -- 5: Walking the walk -- 6: Cutting the teacher strings -- Whisper: End-of-year evaluations -- 7: Letting go -- Afterword / Ron D Myers -- Appendix A: Care and feeding of a classroom library -- Appendix B: Ultimate library list -- Appendix C: Student forms -- References -- Index -- Acknowledgments -- About the author -- About the sponsor.