What I Will Be Reading in 2017

#MustReadin2017

My To-Be-Read list is always growing. As is the stack of books in my To-Be-Read pile. Other reading teachers, book lovers, and lifelong readers probably also sum up their reading life in this way: so many books, so little time. I find as much time as possible to read, but the lists and stacks don't seem to shrink much. I often forget about the books I was eagerly anticipating reading a month ago or put aside the book I just acquired and instead pick up whatever seems worth reading in that moment. For 2017, I have decided to make a list of "must reads" so I have a reading plan. I hope this will ensure that the books I've been looking forward to reading don't get skipped over on the list or buried in the stack. I also join Carrie Gelson of There's a Book For That and a community of other bloggers who are also making #MustReadin2017 lists. My must read list includes a number of middle grade titles that will be published in 2017. I have already heard some book buzz about many of them. There are also a few professional books, recently published or up-and-coming, on my must read list.

Middle Grade Must Reads

Professional Must Reads

I believe talk is essential to student learning, but teaching students to have authentic and meaningful conversations that support their comprehension of text is often a challenge. I hope to get some ideas to support students' talk about text from reading Literacy Conversations in the Classroom: Deepening Understanding of Nonfiction and Narrative by Diane Barone and Rebecca Barone.

I recently read a review of Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can't, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg in the New York Times. Two adjectives used to describe the book were "important' and "alarming." I am interested in learning about the perspective that Seidenberg, who is a cognitive scientist, takes on learning to read.

I loved Gravity Goldberg's book, Mindsets and Moves: Strategies That Help Readers Take Charge so I am looking forward to What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow which she co-authored with Renee Houser. There will be both a nonfiction and fiction version.

Vicki Vinton is another author whose previous work I found to be very insightful. I have seen Vicki Vinton present recently at NCTE and last spring at the New England Reading Association and always learn from her. I have no doubt that my instructional practice will be enriched from reading her book Dynamic Teaching for Deeper Reading: Shifting to a Problem-Based Approach.

What are you planning on reading in 2017?