Close cookie details

This site uses cookies. Learn more about cookies.

OverDrive would like to use cookies to store information on your computer to improve your user experience at our Website. One of the cookies we use is critical for certain aspects of the site to operate and has already been set. You may delete and block all cookies from this site, but this could affect certain features or services of the site. To find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them, click here to see our Privacy Policy.

If you do not wish to continue, please click here to exit this site.

Hide notification

  Main Nav
The Book Whisperer
Cover of The Book Whisperer
The Book Whisperer
Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child
Borrow Borrow

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.

    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.

    Available formats-
    • OverDrive Read
    • EPUB eBook
    Subjects-
    Languages:-
    Copies-
    • Available:
      1
    • Library copies:
      1
    Levels-
    • ATOS:
    • Lexile:
    • Interest Level:
    • Text Difficulty:


    Table of Contents-
    • Foreword, by Jeff Anderson, author and literacy staff developer ix

      Introduction 1

      Chapter 1 There and Back Again 7

      Chapter 2 Everybody Is a Reader 19
      Whisper STUDENT SURVEYS 39

      Chapter 3 There's a Time and a Place 47

      Chapter 4 Reading Freedom 69
      Whisper READER'S NOTEBOOKS 99

      Chapter 5 Walking the Walk 103

      Chapter 6 Cutting the Teacher Strings 119
      Whisper END-OF-YEAR EVALUATIONS 153

      Chapter 7 Letting Go 159
      Afterword, by Ron D. Myers, principal 179

      Appendix A: The Care and Feeding of a Classroom Library 183
      Appendix B: Ultimate Library List 193
      Appendix C: Student Forms 201
      References 213
      Index 217
      Acknowledgments 225
      About the Author 228
      About the Sponsor 228

    Reviews-
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from March 15, 2009
      Miller, a sixth-grade language arts and social studies teacher and blogger, has enabled students of many different backgrounds to enjoy reading and to be good at it; her students regularly score high on the Texas standardized tests. Her approach is simple yet provocative: affirm the reader in every student, allow students to choose their own books, carve out extra reading time, model authentic reading behaviors, discard timeworn reading assignments such as book reports and comprehension worksheets, and develop a classroom library filled with high-interest books. Her students regularly read more than 40 books in a school year and leave her classroom with an appreciation and love of books and reading. Miller provides many tips for teachers and parents and includes a useful list of ultimate reading suggestions picked by her students. This outstanding contribution to the literature is highly recommended for teachers, parents, and others serving young students.Mark Bay, Univ. of the Cumberlands Lib., Williamsburg, KY

      Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      March 1, 2009
      Because she couldnt find a book that showed her how to use her own love of books to imbue her elementary students with the same love, Miller, Teacher Magazine blogger, decided to write her own. She recalls her personal journey as a teacher and the surprise and disappointment of learning that book loving cannot be automatically passed on to students. No more having the whole class read the same novel. She gave her students questionnaires to determine their interests and personally selected stacks of books of possible interest to them, then allowed them to read independentlyat least 40 books a school year. She recounts the experience of some students struggling and others exhilarated by the freedom to read. Millers tactics resulted in improvement in her students vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. She also saw students respect book suggestions that came from a readers passion rather than a teachers agenda. Miller includes reading lists, activities, questionnaires, and other resources. Although aimed at teachers, this book will also definitely appeal to parents interested in encouraging their children to read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

    • Library Journal, March 15, 2009 [Starred review] Miller, a sixth-grade language arts and social studies teacher and blogger, has enabled students of many different backgrounds to enjoy reading and to be good at it; her students regularly score high on the Texas standardized tests. Her approach is simple yet provocative: affirm the reader in every student, allow students to choose their own books, carve out extra reading time, model authentic reading behaviors, discard timeworn reading assignments such as book reports and comprehension worksheets, and develop a classroom library filled with high-interest books. Her students regularly read more than 40 books in a school year and leave her classroom with an appreciation and love of books and reading. Miller provides many tips for teachers and parents and includes a useful list of ultimate reading suggestions picked by her students. This outstanding contribution to the literature is highly recommended for teachers, parents, and others serving young students.--Mark Bay, Univ. of the Cumberlands Lib., Williamsburg, KY
    • The Examiner, November 4, 2009 "Mrs. Miller's message was powerful, yet simple. She reminded educators of the simplest way to foster a love for reading: let students read for fun without asking for a book report when they are done."
    Title Information+
    • Publisher
      Wiley
    • OverDrive Read
      Release date:
    • EPUB eBook
      Release date:
    Digital Rights Information+
    • Copyright Protection (DRM) required by the Publisher may be applied to this title to limit or prohibit printing or copying. File sharing or redistribution is prohibited. Your rights to access this material expire at the end of the lending period. Please see Important Notice about Copyrighted Materials for terms applicable to this content.

    Status bar:

    You've reached your checkout limit.

    Visit your Checkouts page to manage your titles.

    Close

    You already have this title checked out.

    Want to go to your Checkouts?

    Close

    Recommendation Limit Reached.

    You've reached the maximum number of titles you can recommend at this time. You can recommend up to 0 titles every 0 day(s).

    Close

    Sign in to recommend this title.

    Recommend your library consider adding this title to the Digital Collection.

    Close

    Enhanced Details

    Close
    Close

    Limited availability

    Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget.

    is available for days.

    Once playback starts, you have hours to view the title.

    Close

    Permissions

    Close

    The OverDrive Read format of this eBook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.

    Close

    Holds

    Total holds:


    Close

    Restricted

    Some format options have been disabled. You may see additional download options outside of this network.

    Close

    MP3 audiobooks are only supported on macOS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) through 10.14 (Mojave). Learn more about MP3 audiobook support on Macs.

    Close

    Please update to the latest version of the OverDrive app to stream videos.

    Close

    Device Compatibility Notice

    The OverDrive app is required for this format on your current device.

    Close

    Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen

    Close

    You've reached your library's checkout limit for digital titles.

    To make room for more checkouts, you may be able to return titles from your Checkouts page.

    Close

    Excessive Checkout Limit Reached.

    There have been too many titles checked out and returned by your account within a short period of time.

    Try again in several days. If you are still not able to check out titles after 7 days, please contact Support.

    Close

    You have already checked out this title. To access it, return to your Checkouts page.

    Close

    This title is not available for your card type. If you think this is an error contact support.

    Close

    An unexpected error has occurred.

    If this problem persists, please contact support.

    Close

    Close

    NOTE: Barnes and Noble® may change this list of devices at any time.

    Close
    Buy it now
    and help our library WIN!
    The Book Whisperer
    The Book Whisperer
    Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child
    Donalyn Miller
    Choose a retail partner below to buy this title for yourself.
    A portion of this purchase goes to support your library.
    Close
    Close

    There are no copies of this issue left to borrow. Please try to borrow this title again when a new issue is released.

    Close
    Barnes & Noble Sign In |   Sign In

    You will be prompted to sign into your library account on the next page.

    If this is your first time selecting “Send to NOOK,” you will then be taken to a Barnes & Noble page to sign into (or create) your NOOK account. You should only have to sign into your NOOK account once to link it to your library account. After this one-time step, periodicals will be automatically sent to your NOOK account when you select "Send to NOOK."

    The first time you select “Send to NOOK,” you will be taken to a Barnes & Noble page to sign into (or create) your NOOK account. You should only have to sign into your NOOK account once to link it to your library account. After this one-time step, periodicals will be automatically sent to your NOOK account when you select "Send to NOOK."

    You can read periodicals on any NOOK tablet or in the free NOOK reading app for iOS, Android or Windows 8.

    Accept to ContinueCancel