I try to teach my students that books are a mirror, reflecting their own lives, and a window, giving them a peek into someone else's.

Readers enjoy talking about books almost as much as they like reading.

I realized that every lesson, conference, response, and assignment I taught must lead students away from me and toward their autonomy as literate people.

When we meet and I discover that we have read and loved the same books, we are instant friends.

If you don't read, I don't know how to communicate with you...I can never express who I am in my own words as powerfully as my books can.

Although I enjoy digging through the library to help students find books, my aim is to help them develop self-confidence in choosing books for themselves.

Exposing students to lots of books and positive reading experiences while building a network of other readers who support each other provides students with tools that last beyond the classroom setting.