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All AboutMy Book Recommendations

Book reviews, roundups, and recommendations written by me, as opposed to being crowd-sourced.

Recommendations for a Book Study

Looking for some recommendations for a book study or reading group? Here are some of my favorites (although not necessarily directly about education!).

Four Books I’m Reading

Here’s a round-up of a few books I’ve either just finished or am in the middle of that I thought you might like. Rebellion Alis Wade has finished the third book in her Gifted Potentials series: Rebellion. She sent me a copy and I’m still working my way through it (you can blame the infant!). […]

Books Featuring Gifted Guys

I’ve done a couple rounds of book recommendations featuring gifted female protagonists, so here’s one for the fellas: kid-friendly novels with a gifted male character.

Summer Reading 2017

A handful of books I’ve read recently that stuck with me. Two teaching-related books, a biography, a book about, like, everything, and one great sci-fi novel.

Summer 2016 Reading Recs

Looking for something to read this summer? Here are a few sorta-teaching-related texts I’ve enjoyed.

3 Books I Loved in 2015

One of my goals for 2015 was to read 48 books. Out of those, here are 3 that you might enjoy, and that tangentially relate to gifted education:

Review: Mindsets In The Classroom

Ricci’s book builds on Dweck’s research and attacks the problem of the fixed mindset on all fronts, addressing the attitudes of students, but also of school staff and parents. But make sure you read Dweck’s work first.

Review: Revelations

I received a copy of the second book in the School For Gifted Potentials series: Revelations. This is a great book for kids, blending an interesting sci-fi world with an educational journey through the social emotional needs of gifted students.

Summer Reading: Book Edition

Here’s some summer reading recommendations of books you can actually touch! No real theme to these, except that each one challenged my understanding of kids and made me rethink the way I approach learning.

Summer Reading: Digital Edition

The internet is a treasure trove of fascinating and inspirational reading material, but how can we keep track of it all? Here are three tools that I use to tame the wild web and set up digital reading system.

A Book For The Trivia-Obsessed

There’s a type of gifted kid who is simply filled to the brim with “did you know” trivia. If you know a student like this, then have I got a book recommendation for you! “The Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things” explains how objects, customs, and sayings got their start.

Book: Discovering & Developing Talents in Spanish-Speaking Students

My friends Kathryn Haydon and Gina Danley recently authored a book along with Joan Smutny and Olivia Bolaños, titled Discovering and Developing Talents in Spanish-Speaking Students. As someone who taught in Southern California, I’m glad to see them addressing this need.

A Creative Coloring Book (For All Ages)

A few years ago, my young niece picked up interesting coloring book while we vacationed in Mammoth Lakes, CA. This is no “stay within the lines” book, however. Titled Scribbles, this book is filled with nearly 400 creative, divergent, and open-ended thinking tasks.

Review: Orientation

“Orientation” is a unique sci-fi novel specifically written for gifted children as a tool for learning about their social and emotional needs. I’ll open with my highest praise: I wish someone had given me this book when I was in elementary school!

Books Featuring Gifted Girls as Main Characters

Here are a bunch of books featuring gifted girls as their main characters. Each protagonist struggles to balance her abilities with others’ expectations. None rely on tired cliches or overused school settings. And each novel is so well-written that I read them on my own during summer break!

Review: Envision – Career Aspirations

Many times, as teachers of gifted students, our biggest need is materials designed for our most advanced learners. Frequently, we need to provide them with in-depth, independent work. Our textbooks, however, never cater to this population. We’re left to develop our own projects, which may take weeks to prepare and years to tweak.

Review: Challenging Units – Science

Smith uses his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology to target gifted students’ unique thinking processes. Units are designed for deep exploration with many avenues of thought. All projects are based on ill-structured problems, with no “right answers.” He also runs his district’s enrichment program, so the units are designed for busy teachers. Each unit is structured into step-by-step, daily lessons (even including homework ideas!).

Review: Challenging Units for Gifted Learners

While at NAGC 2010, the most exciting session I attended was put on by Ken Smith and Susan Stonequist. They outlined a geometry unit in which their students built a working miniature golf course. I was thrilled to hear that this unit was just one part of an upcoming series of books. Last week, I received copies of the series, called Challenging Units for Gifted Learners.

Books for Teaching Thinking

We teach our gifted students to solve math problems, write fantastic essays, and read above grade level, but do we teach them to think? Edward Debono believes that thinking should be taught as a discrete subject. As I start the new school year, I’ve found a few books to help me embed quick “thinking lessons” into my day. These tools make great options for extension menus or creative differentiated products.