September’s Result – The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
Format/source: Paperback/Library
Published: March 2009
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Length: 227 pages
Genre: Non-fiction
Target Age: Adult (no mature content)
#OwnVoices: N/A
★★★★
Donalyn Miller is a dedicated teacher who says she has yet to meet a child she couldn’t turn into a reader. Her approach, however, is not conventional. Miller dispenses with the more traditional reading instruction of book reports and comprehension worksheets in favor of embracing students’ choices in books and independent reading. Her zeal for reading is infections and inspiring –and the results are remarkable.
No matter how far behind Miller’s students may be when they enter her 6th grade classroom, her students read an average of 40 books a year, achieve high scores on standardized tests, and internalize a love for books and reading that lasts long after they’ve left her class. Travel alongside the author as she leads her students to discover the ample rewards of reading and literature. Her secrets include: Affirming the reader in every student, supporting students’ reading choices, carving out extra reading time, modeling authentic reading behaviors, discarding time-worn reading assignments, and developing a classroom library with high-interest books. Rich with classroom examples and practical advice and stitched together with the thread of Miller’s passionate voice, this book will help teachers support students of all levels on their path to reading success and points a way out of the nation’s literacy crisis.
Finally! My hold came in. I read through this book in a couple of days. It makes for a smooth and easy read because of the conversational tone and inclusion of anecdotes and quotes from students.
I enjoyed the section where Miller describes and dismisses common literature-focused teaching assignments and suggests alternative projects. The projects that Miller suggest better support the intended goals of the ‘old’ and often ineffectual assignments, as well an overall goal of fostering a love of reading that will endure past the end of the school year. I found myself nodding along as I recalled some of the pointless activities I did in grade school. I laughed at how spot on Miller’s description of reading out loud during class is. No one benefits because they’re too focused on the act of reading out loud (likely because they’re terrified, trying to get it over with, or racing ahead) to actually comprehend the text (pg. 147).
However, Miller’s description of said projects is more theoretical than practical. A teacher wouldn’t be able to read this book and immediately begin implementing Miller’s strategies. I’m not a teacher. I’m a librarian who cares about kids enjoying reading. So, I didn’t mind the lack of specificity or practical applications. The philosophy described in the text is a sound one that I wish more educators (and their administrators) could support.
As this book was published in 2009 (before the ubiquity of smartphones, among other changes), there were a few moments where it felt dated. At times I thought an updated edition would be helpful – how do you cultivate a habit of picking up a book in any down moment, rather than picking up a phone? But as I noted above, Miller never goes into the specifics of how her practice works, so my question in the previous statement likely wouldn’t be addressed in-depth anyway in a revised edition. Goodreads suggests Miller’s 2013 text Reading in the Wild focuses more on practical application and addresses some of the technology question.
I’ll end this review with a few of my favourite passages from the book that exemplify Miller’s philosophy and practice.
On giving students choice:
“Embracing their inner reader starts with students selecting their own books to read. This freedom is not a future, perhaps-by-spring goal for them, but our first accomplishment as a class. Why does choice matter? Providing students with the opportunity to choose their own books to read empowers and encourages them. it strengthens their self-confidence, rewards their interests, and promotes a positive attitude toward reading by valuing the reader and giving him or her a level of control. Readers without power to make their own choices are unmotivated.”
The Book Whisperer, pg. 23
“Krashen asserts that we are denying students access to the one activity that has been proven over and over again to increase their language acquisition and competence as communicators: again, free, voluntary reading.”
The Book Whisperer, pg. 51
On her 40 books read requirement:
“Ten books or twenty books are not enough to instill a love of reading in students. They must choose and read many books for themselves in order to catch the reading bug. By setting the requirement as high as I do, I ensure that students must have a book going constantly. Without the need to read a book every single day to stay on top of my requirement, students would read as little as they could. They might not internalize independent reading habits if my requirement expected less from them. I know this approach works because I have never had a student who reached this forty-book mark stop there. Students continue to read even after the requirement is met.”
The Book Whisperer, pg. 77
On allowing students to choose their own while the class studies a single topic:
“We examined the perspectives of Japanese Americans, German soliders, Holocaust victims, and children whose brothers and fathers fought in the war. I found that our classroom discussions about World War II were richer than if we had all read the same book because students came to the topic from different, often opposing viewpoints. My students walked away from the unit with a broader understanding of the war and its impact on all of the people touched by it.”
The Book Whisperer, pg. 129
And perhaps most significantly, on why this approach can matter:
Why should I subject students to negative experiences now in order to prepare them for negative experiences later? I just don’t think mindless work is what I should be grooming them for. I grow weary of hearing teachers say, We have to get them ready for seventh grade, or high school or college.’ They are in sixth grade! What about having an enriching, powerful, glorious year in sixth grade? The purpose of school should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now.
The Book Whisperer pg. 166
I recognize the approach Miller describes is dependent on a variety of factors. She is privileged enough to have, for example, the support of her administrators and a personal collection of hundreds of books to share with students. She also doesn’t address students who may have learning disabilities or be experiencing other challenges. The Book Whisperer may describes ambitious practices that maybe difficult to implement, but overall Miller describes a philosophy I can get behind.
October’s Result – Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
Format/source: Hardcover/Library
Published: May 2015
Publisher: Amulet Books
Length: 408 pages
Genre: Historical speculative fiction (unsettling fairy story)
Target Age: 10+
#OwnVoices: N/A
Content Warning: Attempted physical abuse of a child by a parent, light body horror (not graphic)
★★★★½
This is my second Hardinge novel. I loved it even more than A Face Like Glass. The cover on the edition I borrowed from the library (pictured above) is much creepier than the one I’ve seen and shared previously (of a girl’s face with yellow text). My sister commented, “You’re going to scare children if you read that in public!”
Cuckoo Song does start off darkly atmospheric and a little disturbing, in a way that I love. Hardinge’s prose hits all the right notes for me. She has a gift for simile. The mood shifts somewhat once protagonist Triss realizes what’s going on (about 120 pages in), but if you enjoy tales about the human world intersecting with the fairy world (the dark kind), then you will enjoy the entire book. There were more than a handful of moments throughout the story that made me go very still inside and feel a little chill.
“Tell?” His voice was very, very soft. He turned to face Pen, and in doing so appeared to grow a few inches. His coat bristled and brindled, like the fur of an angry cat, and it seemed to Triss that a light shone in his pale eyes, as if they were reflecting a wild sky that nobody else could see. “TELL?” he did not simply shout the word, he screamed it at the top of his lungs, with the terrible force of a thwarted infant. “But that would be BREAKING OUR BARGAIN!” Somehow it was not funny. The very childishness made it strange and terrifying. Seeing an adult give in to temper without shame was like seeing a chain falling from the collar of a large and dangerous dog.
Cuckoo Song pg. 105
I have loved middle grade with nuanced adult characters integral to the plot since I read Inkheart when I was in grade five. Especially when those adults are the protagonist’s parents. Triss and her younger sister Pen are the only children in Cuckoo Song. While their flawed mother and father aren’t the most important adults in the book, they do play a critical role in the story. The Architect, quoted above, is another frightening adult character. He doesn’t appear frequently but makes an impact when he does.
The nature of the plot is sensitive to spoilers so I won’t say much more, except that the story takes place in England during the early 1920s, with jazz music and flapper lifestyle playing a part. I haven’t read a fairy story set in this era before; it works wonderfully with Hardinge’s description. If any of what I’ve described so far appeals to you even just a little, I highly recommend you check out Cuckoo Song.
Interview @ Libri Pulp | Review by Brandy @ Random Musings of a Bibliophile | Review by Rachel @ 15% Concentrated Power of Will |
Thank-you to everyone who has cast a vote and shared their thoughts on which books I should read! I’ve enjoyed being able to stay in touch with blogging buddies through this series, even when I was mostly dormant online. No poll for December. (I have enough catching up on my TBR to do!).The next vote will take place in January.
I enjoyed Miller’s book, as well, though I am not sure all her suggestions will work in practice, especially in older grades–which she does not address. High school curricula tend to focus on specific time periods and so have less room for students to read whatever they want, as some familiarity with classic and well-known texts is expected.
I love Hardinge’s work, but haven’t read this one yet!
Yes, grade six seems to be the ideal time to implement Miller’s philosophy. I did search your blog to see if you had reviewed Cuckoo Song, haha. I am pretty certain you would enjoy this one as well!
I’m on a quest to eventually read all Hardinge’s work!