The Book Whisperer

    Excitement flows through me every time I open the front door and see a box with that Amazon logo on the side. I posted about the books I planned to read this summer, and The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child was my number 1 pick. Mainly because I had read so many articles referencing this book. I sat down at 2:00 to read this book, and I finished 5 minutes ago...11:49. I read until supper, ate, and then began reading again. I had to watch a few shows, but I kept grabbing this book when the show got boring or a commercial came on.

  I never was a reader growing up. Don't get me wrong, I read some books in middle and high school I loved, but I could count the number of those books on one hand.

  I fell in love with children's books during college. I had a wonderful instructor who let each of us choose a children's book a week and then share with everyone our feelings of the book.

Then...came Harry Potter. I have to admit, I had never read any of the books. I fell completely in love with the movies. After seeing Half Blood Prince with my dad the summer it came out, I was hooked! I could not wait another year to see what was going to happen. So I immediately went to Barnes and Noble and bought Deathly Hallows. This book is 759 pages long. I read it in 48 hours.

This book sparked my love for books. It is so sad it took that long, and after reading The Book Whisperer I remember why. Growing up, I don't ever remember reading books I chose at school. I remember bringing home If You Give a Mouse a Cookie everyday, and reading it before I went to bed. BUT that is it!

PLEASE, please, please- read The Book Whisperer! I cannot emphasize enough how well written it is. Donalyn Miller writes beautifully, so it doesn't seem like a regular professional book. It reads like a memior/novel with classroom/teaching "suggestions".

I recommend this book if you teach 2nd and up, but any and every teacher should read this in their lifetime.

Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox. I am headed off to begin my summer read #2 (pleasure book #1) Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright.