“Finding the Right Texts marks a watershed in early reading instruction. Over the past few years, our collective scholarship has restored text to its rightful—and central—role as a major factor in explaining both success and failure in learning to read, particularly for those students who depend on schools to learn to read. Read this wonderful volume, and you'll never look at a text the same way again.”

—P. David Pearson, PhD, Evelyn Lois Corey Professor Emeritus of Instructional Science, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley


“Wow! This is truly a masterful collection from a 'dream team' of researchers. Instructors can use this book to teach preservice teachers and graduate students how to evaluate core reading programs. Curriculum directors, administrators, and classroom teachers will find guidelines for selecting well-designed programs that will bring about results for all students. The essential guidelines in these pages could also help publishers develop better texts for beginning or struggling readers.”

—Lynette Block, MEd, Nebraska Reading First Director, Nebraska Department of Education


“Anyone who works with teachers to improve reading instruction will be hungry for this book. The very well-respected editors and contributors give us research-based answers to the question of why texts are often so hard for students to read. They provide well-articulated remedies that will benefit all students, especially English language learners and at-risk readers. This book is substantive, engaging, and a delight to read and ponder. It gives professional development providers, coaches, reading specialists, and teacher educators important knowledge for helping teachers plan the best instruction they can with the materials available to them.”

—Kathy Harris, instructional coach, Piner–Olivet Union School District, Santa Rosa, California


“This book could become a classic. It provides clear information on what makes texts difficult for students and what teachers can do about it.”

—Richard L. Allington, PhD, Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, University of Tennessee