We have identified some of our favorite books that you might find helpful. For each, we've provided a brief summary about the content. We know that there are many good books out there. If you have a book that you think would be helpful to others, please email your recommendation to us at dyslexiahelp@umich.edu
Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print - A Summary
Marilyn Jager Adams
Through focusing on a variety of research done on reading proficiency, Adams proposes that phonics and teaching-for-meaning no longer need to be two separate teaching approaches. This book provides an integrated treatment for the process of skillful reading, how it was acquired, and what this means for reading instruction.
Teaching a Struggling Reader: One Mom’s Experience With Dyslexia
Pamela Brookes
From the author, “I wrote this e-booklet to be a fast read, probably less than an hour, so that time-crunched parents and teachers can quickly gain a fairly comprehensive overview of dyslexia, its emotional impacts, and Orton Gillingham interventions. It is also full of links for readers who want more in-depth information.” It is available as a free resource on Amazon.
Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills Activity Book
Suzanne Carreker & Judith R. Birsh
This book explains why multisensory teaching methods work in the classroom. Specific strategies are outlined to increase reading comprehension, phonological awareness, organization and study skills, and much more. Observation tools, assessment models, instructional materials, and activities are included.
Blueprint for a Literate Nation: How You Can Help
Cinthia Coletti
This book explains the problems with the American education system and proposes a plan to follow in order to fix it.
The Math Handbook for Students with Math Difficulties, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia or ADHD
Helmy Faber
This book provides an excellent template of the math concepts that students in grades 1-7 need to learn. Author Helmy Faber is a developmental psychologist and educational therapist with extensive experience working with students who have learning disabilities. Each concept is explained step-by-step using visual representations. With over twenty topics covered, including the language of math, this book is ideal for tutors and clinicians to supplement math concept instruction when working with students who find math challenging.
Why Jane and John Couldn't Read—and How They Learned: A New Look at Striving Readers
Rosalie Fink
Fink follows 66 striving readers and explains the common strategies that helped individuals become high-level, successful readers. This book employs is the interest-driven model, which is based on the reader’s abilities and strengths, as opposed to the deficit model.
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan
Ben Foss
A groundbreaking book that reveals what your dyslexic child is experiencing—and what you can do so that he or she will thrive.
Your Child's Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them
Jenifer Fox
Fox's strengths-based philosophy provides the tools to prepare kids for the future in a world that demands greater adaptability and creative thinking than ever before.
Once Upon An Accommodation: A Book About Learning Disabilities
Nina G.
Protagonist Matt discovers that he has a learning disability but doesn’t understand what that means. He discovers that with the proper accommodations, advocacy, and support he can accomplish his goals. Matt receives accommodations through a 504 meeting/plan.
Writing Better: Effective Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties
Steven Graham & Karen R. Harris
This book is a practical guidebook for teachers who wish to incorporate a detailed, systematic approach to help struggling writers in the classroom. These approaches are scientifically validated and practical for improving students’ work and views about writing.
Bigger Than Me: How a Boy Conquered Dyslexia to Play with the NFL
Jovan Haye
This is professional football player Jovan Haye's autobiography, in which he describes his rise to success despite dyslexia and many other factors.
WORDS: Integrated Decoding and Spelling Instruction Based on Word Origin and Word Structure – Second Edition
Marcia Henry
The second edition of Marcia Henry’s much-loved book, WORDS, now includes student activities and expanded progress-monitoring tools. WORDS focuses on spelling based on word origin and word structure, thus strengthening students' ability to decode, comprehend, ans spell.
Fish in a Tree
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
This uplifting novel tells a story about a 6th grade girl struggling to fit in because of her (undiagnosed) dyslexia. After running into repeated trouble in class, a new teacher takes the time to go beneath the surface and unleash her potential. Ally, the main character, soon learns that not all great minds think alike afterall. Ideal reading for the mid-elementary struggling reader and a must-read for every teacher!
Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties
David A. Kilpatrick
Through his practical, accessible, and effective in-depth guide to reading assessment and intervention, David A. Kilpatrick provides useful tools and techniques for anyone struggling with reading difficulties. As he discusses the nature and causes of reading problems, he offers effective interventions and programming that can be used to prevent and treat these problems. The book is formatted for easy reading with visual representations and engaging design features to portray his pertinent information. Kilpatrick also bridges the gap between research and practice by including various techniques and strategies for becoming a better reader and test-taker. This book is highly recommended for practitioners and educators.
Equipped for Reading Success
David A. Kilpatrick
Equipped For Reading Success is a comprehensive step-by-step program that bolsters phonemic awareness and fluent word recognition in order to promote orthographic mapping. Are you looking for a resource that can help you teach students how to overcome reading difficulties? Visit the website
Farmer's Son
N. E. Lasater
This unique novel centers around one boy's journey with dyslexia and his struggle with his family, who doesn't understand.
The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists, 6th Edition
Jacqueline E. Kress & Edward B. Fry
This 6th edition of the most definitive instructional resource has plenty to offer for all K-12 English language-arts teachers. Now teamed up with the Common Core, this book of lists is designed for developing targeted instruction. Including a specific guide that tracks lessons plans based around the Common Core and new lists for language development, Kress & Fry give reading teachers everything they need for any level of classroom.
Dyslexia: A Teacher's Journey
Ruth Fuller Lature
After learning nothing about dyslexia while earning her master’s degree in elementary education, Lature spent nine weeks at a summer reading program, which focused on teaching people with dyslexia. In her memoir, Lature uses a combination of information and humor to share her experience in this course as well as her triumphs and struggles as a teacher and a passionate advocate for people with dyslexia.
A Mind at a Time
Mel Levine
Levine argues that children have different ways of learning and the current educational system fails to recognize and properly classify students. Levine has identified eight areas of learning based on his own research of children with learning and behavioral problems. He directs parents and teachers on how to teach students struggling in each of these areas.
A Shout-Out for Dyslexics: The Emotional Side
Gina Mazzetti
Mazzetti writes about how dyslexia has affected her family and the compensation strategies she's learned to use. The book looks at the symptoms, behaviors, and effects of dyslexia, and it is geared toward dyslexics, parents, and professionals alike.
Dyslexia Across Languages: Orthography and the Brain-Gene-Behavior Link
Peggy McCardle
This book details the science and research that has supplied the understandings of dyslexia in numerous languages and addresses the questions of similarity in dyslexia among those languages. The results of the research lays out a future for dyslexia findings, where "these specific next steps will pave the way for more and better research and encourage stronger interdisciplinary collaborations among fields, such as cognitive science, neuroscience, genetics, and education."
UnREAL Education: Beyond Report Cards
Elaine Mellon
This book was written to help support and empower other parents of Special Needs children as they navigate through the special ed system. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the International Dyslexia Association and Everyone Reading.
Academic Success Strategies for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities & ADHD
Esther H. Minskoff & David Allsopp
This book contains strategies that educational professionals can employ when working with older students with mild disabilities in the areas of reading, writing, math, and more. The approaches are one-on-one, which help educators evaluate each student’s individual needs. A five step model is included that helps instructors introduce the strategies to students and then helps the student use the techniques.
Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers
Louisa Cook Moats
Moats provides one of the most comprehensive, yet accessible, books on the underlying role of oral language in learning to read and spell. Chapters cover phonetics, phonology, semantics, morphology, syntax, and orthography. This is an essential book for every teacher's tool kit because as she says, "Literacy is the essential goal of schooling" and oral language undergirds literacy learning.
The Dyslexic Adventures of Sheldon Potastic: One Family's Struggle with Public School Special Education
Marion Potastic
This is a true story of a dyslexic child and his family and their journey through the world of special education in the public school system. The book aims to help families know what to expect when going through the IEP process.
The Fluent Reader
Timothy Rasinski
This book focuses on interactive and fun ways to implement easy and effective reading strategies for children grades 1 through 8. The strategies are research-based and focus on the importance of word recognition, comprehension, and fluency. Some of the strategies Rasinski suggests are read aloud, repeated reading, and performance reading. This book earned many great reviews from users.
More Than What You See
Silvaan Ruth Raven
This book of poems is about the author's struggle with dyslexia in school and in other aspects of her life.
Nowhere to Hide: Why Kids with LD and ADHD Hate School and What We Can Do About It
Jerome J. Schultz
Dr. Schultz’s book outlines how stress inflicted by learning disabilities is a negative thing for children and how it impacts learning behavior. He uses his own experience and research to create a guide on how to reduce stress in LD students and provides strategies for success. The book includes charts to track progress.
Study Skills: A Landmark School Teaching Guide
Joan Sedita
This book is directed towards middle school and high school students who have trouble with organization. It is a tool for teachers to help students organize materials, time, and information from lecture and reading. The second addition shows the changes in Landmark curriculum caused by an increase in the author’s experience and training after consulting schools across the United States.
Language at the Speed of Sight
Mark Seidenberg
As highlighted in the subheading of his book, Mark Seidenberg discusses how we read, why so many can’t, and what can be done about it. As an internationally renowned cognitive scientist, Seidenberg sees a massive disconnect between science and education. As a result of recent test score results that have put the United States below many other countries, the question of concern is where the education system is failing and how to change our ways. Through the exploration of cognitive science, neurobiology, and linguistics, this book uncovers the reading problems in the U.S. and proposes new methods that better equip teachers to teach children how to read. With nearly 1 out of 3 American children not being able to read well, this book is relevant and insightful for considering the future of our education system.
Visit Mark Seidenberg’s website with book reviews by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Overcoming Dyslexia
Sally and Jonathan Shaywitz
Now out with a second edition that is completely revised and updated, this book offers information on how the brain works, reading problems, and techniques to overcome these problems caused by dyslexia. Both parents and teachers will find this book to be a useful resource. Some of the sections of the book include a home program to improve reading, a list of the most common problem causing words, and much more.
Reversals: A Personal Account of Victory Over Dyslexia
Eileen M. Simpson
In this book Eileen Simpson shares firsthand accounts of what it was like to grow up as a child unable to read. Simpson, with her no nonsense creative delivery, vividly reconstructs her existence as a child living in the often frightening world of illiteracy limbo. Her powerful story of victory over dyslexia is honest, inspiring, and moving.
Dyslexia Wonders: Understanding the Daily Life of a Dyslexic from a Child's Point of View
Jennifer Smith
Struggling through school, teased by peers, misunderstood by teachers and even family, Jennifer, at age 12, takes you on her journey to overcome the barriers of dyslexia. Parents, educators, and family members will benefit from the story of this remarkable young writer.
Teaching Learning Strategies and Study Skills To Students with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorders, or Special Needs
Stephen S. Strichart & Charles T. Mangrum
The focus of this book is to turn students with learning disabilities into independent learners by using study skill and strategies effectively. Over 150 activities are available in this book that use active learning techniques and study skills practice. Each chapter contains suggestions for when to use the activities, assessment of mastery, and answer keys for each activity.
About Dyslexia: Unraveling the Myth
Priscilla L. Vail
About Dyslexia: Unraveling the Myth is a basic introductory tool to learn about dyslexia. It outlines each grade from elementary school through high school and what to expect from dyslexic students in each grade, especially when dyslexia is undiagnosed. The language is lucid, concise, and non-technical. Vail’s main focus is on the early years of school in identifying dyslexia and seeking out help. This book is a great tool for parents who want to learn more about how dyslexia affects their child.
Learning Styles: Food for Thought and 130 Practical Tips for Teachers K-4
Priscilla L. Vail
Learning Styles: Food for Thought and 130 Practical Tips for Teachers K-4 is a guide for teachers of kindergarten through fourth grade. First, it helps teaches identify a student’s learning style. The next section then addresses the learning styles and tells how to meet the needs of each style. Finally, Vail offers 130 fun and practical tips for teachers.
Words Fail Me: How Language Develops & What Happens When It Doesn't
Priscilla L. Vail
In Words Fail Me: How Language Develops & What Happens When It Doesn't, Vail describes how language develops in children. She then looks at what goes wrong during development and the effects it has on reading, writing, listening, and speaking. At the end of each chapter, Vail makes ten practical and specific suggestions to develop language, particularly a love for it. The book is a quick read and a good resource for parents and educators.
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain
Maryanne Wolf
Maryanne Wolf sets the stage about the development of the reading brain from a cultural-historical perspective and then proceeds to biological and cognitive aspects. She then explores the puzzle of dyslexia. This is a must-read to help us understand how our brain evolved from 'reading' the hieroglyphics of years ago to understanding the sound-symbol correspondence used in the text of today, and then what happens when one can't learn to read.
Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction
Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan
This book, written by trusted experts with extensive experience working in diverse schools and classrooms, is directed toward K-12 teachers to help guide their students to enlarge their vocabulary. This updated version is grounded in research and outlines how to select words for lessons, explain their meanings, as well as create engaging activities to promote reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge.
Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Learning Difficulties
Janette K. Klingner, Sharon Vaughn, and Alison Boardman
This book is a resource for K-12 teachers. It provides evidence-based tools for helping students who are at risk for reading difficulties to understand and acquire new information. The book outlines a range of techniques and activities that are scientifically validated to teach students to use multiple comprehension strategies flexibly and effectively. It also provides reproducible lesson plans as well as graphic organizers to assist instructors.
From Talking to Writing: Strategies for Supporting Narrative and Expository Writing
Terrill M. Jennings & Charles W. Haynes
This book offers help for educators who work with students who struggle with writing and/or expressive language skills. It provides a step-by-step instruction strategies for skills that include but are not limited to word choice, sentence structure, and composition development for the purpose of teaching narrative and expository writing. This book contains theories behind language difficulties, appropriate instructional strategies, techniques for teaching word choice, proper grammar, and helping students organize and expand their writing. It also includes scaffold templates, teaching dialogues, and sample responses.
