Presents two lists of young adult literature titles totaling 100 works. Notes that the first list includes books with lasting appeal and the second list includes some new and notable books to fill a summer reading list. (SG)

Notes the author vowed to prove to herself and to her students that they could meet and exceed the state standards, that they could succeed on any test, and that they could do it while engaging in authentic, context-based reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, viewing, and visually representing. Discusses units of study based upon a…

Notes that what all middle school students need is another kid like them but with words. Presents some examples of adolescents going through the rites of passage--someone like T.J. in Chris Crutcher's "Whale Talk," or Sara Louise Bradshaw in Katherine Paterson's "Jacob Have I Loved," or Brian in Gary Paulson's…

Considers how to involve students more in discussing poetry. Describes a class activity involving creating a low-risk poetry porthole: the list poem. Talks about learning how to discuss the poetry of others. Presents ideas for making the transition to the discussion of "school" poetry. (SG)

Suggests that if adolescents are going to get hooked on poetry and read and write more than an occasional sample, they need to have teachers share with them poetry they will enjoy. Considers a study by Karen Kutiper of middle school student poetry preference. Presents conclusions from this study along with a list of the 25 most popular poems. (SG)

Presents an annotated bibliography of nine books that kids think are great. Recommends the books on the basis of pure enjoyment. (SG)

Describes how one eighth-grade teacher creates a safe, playful, literate environment for a four-week poetry unit which immerses students in the thoughtful, energetic, productive experience of poetry. Describes introducing poetry, setting up the unit, class activities, a wide range of requirements and assignments, and students' enthusiastic…

Argues that the number one goal in teaching literature should be to create lifelong, reflective readers, and that the job of a novel at its highest level is to illuminate the human condition. Argues that good adolescent literature does all of these things, and does it in such a way that adolescents will ask for more. (SR)

Discusses the importance of talk in the classroom, in particular talk about books. Includes student conversations and comments about such discussion, and the lack of it in their classrooms. Describes what such discussion has to offer to individuals, classrooms, and society. Notes the difficulties of achieving discussion in the classroom. (SR)

Describes how the author has her students create "found poems" and use them in conjunction with the students' own Readers/Writers Logs to help students make more of a text, own it, and discover the power of effective language. Includes instructions, student samples of found poems, and samples of the entire process. (SR)

Describes how two fifth-grade boys developed and sustained a love of fantasy books. Describes how these two discriminating readers have developed taste and a social context for their reading experience. Shows how their experience demonstrates important principles about reading and about reading curriculum. (SR)

Encourages the idea of cross-generational shared reading experiences. Presents annotations (written by students) of 12 titles. Notes that almost half of the books that are featured have been around for a while, and yet they are still fresh for new readers. (SG)