Carol Jago

Carol Jago’s slim but powerful volume will help both preservice and in-service teachers develop and maintain robust literature instruction while meeting (and— in many cases—exceeding) Common Core Standards for reading. Although the theory and strategies Jago discusses are most relevant to works of literary fiction, much of her thinking can also be applied to informational texts or nonfiction works, which she addresses only briefly.

Throughout this highly readable and accessible text, Jago deftly blends theory, scholarship, wisdom culled from her many years of experience as a classroom teacher, and proven strategies and activities to engage secondary students in actively reading literature. Jago encourages transparency in instruction by exposing students to the processes that good readers use, including the concept of “good-enough reading”; she wisely recommends differentiating teaching strategies based on instructional contexts and students’ existing knowledge and skill levels, and her methods range from the traditional (e.g., Freytag’s pyramid) to the progressive (much of her pedagogy is informed by Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development).

She samples just enough theory to support the practical strategies she advocates, but what emerges most clearly from this text is her passion for sharing her profound love of literature. Statements such as the following pepper the text: “I see it as my mission in life to turn students into readers whose way of moving in the world is somehow shaped by literature” (p. 61) and “I measure my success in the classroom by the intellectual delight my students take in their reading” (p. 79). Her zeal is infectious—after reading about the various activities she uses for teaching Crime and Punishment, I found myself wanting to read the novel myself. I highly recommend this book for both its inspirational value and for its practical value—it will be a valuable addition to any ELA teacher’s professional library.… (mehr)