Reading About Reading

It might sound funny, but I spend a lot of time reading about reading. I’ve always been curious about how kids learn, and I love finding new ways to help struggling readers succeed. Here are some of the books that have shaped the way I think about teaching reading, and why I recommend them to parents, teachers, and anyone who has a child in their life. Just so you know, I don’t earn anything from sharing these books. I recommend them simply because they’ve made a big difference for me, and I think they can help you too!

💡 Dyslexic Advantage

When I first read Dyslexic Advantage over ten years ago, it completely changed how I saw dyslexia. I learned that dyslexia isn’t a vision problem or a sign of low intelligence; it’s an unexpected difficulty with reading caused by differences in phonological processing. The book also showed me that many people with dyslexia have remarkable strengths in other areas. If you’ve ever wondered what dyslexia really is or isn’t, this book will really help you understand.

If you are thinking you don’t know someone who has dyslexia, guess again! Dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population and represents 80–90 percent of all those with learning disabilities.

I now think of dyslexia as simply a different way the brain works. People with dyslexia often have incredible strengths in creativity, problem-solving, and big-picture thinking, which is why so many highly successful people have dyslexia. At the same time, dyslexia can make working with language, reading, spelling, and even learning another language more challenging. This article explains the different areas of the brain that are involved in learning a language. If this topic interests you as much as it does me, I’d love to keep the conversation going!

The authors of Dyslexic Advantage also publish the free Dyslexic Advantage Newsletter, which I highly recommend. Each monthly issue is packed with insight for parents, educators, and anyone interested in supporting kids who learn differently. There is also a Premium Magazine chock full of even more information.

📖 Shifting the Balance (K–2 and 3–5)

I read Shifting the Balance K-2 in 2022, and when Shifting the Balance 3-5 was published, I immediately bought that too! These two books are must-reads for any K–5 teacher. They show how to shift from balanced literacy practices to approaches grounded in the Science of Reading, and they explain the “why” and “how” behind each change. Practical, thoughtful, and teacher-friendly. You can learn more about the books on their website.

🔑 7 Mighty Moves

Over the summer of 2023, I read 7 Mighty Moves. This concise, practical book is full of strategies, anecdotes, and QR codes linking to real classroom examples. It’s aimed at K–3 teachers but is helpful for reading specialists and interventionists too. I love that the author is currently teaching, she writes from experience, not just theory.

Watching students put all the pieces together and start reading confidently is a joy like no other for me. If you want to understand how to make that happen, whether you’re a teacher, parent, grandparent, or caregiver, these books are a great place to start.

📩 Share this post with someone who cares about a child’s reading journey. And if you want more tips, book picks, and strategies, make sure to follow along here at Journey to Better Reading and on social media.

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Welcome to Journey to Better Reading

Hi! I’m Cheryl, a literacy specialist who has spent decades helping students, teachers, and families understand how reading really develops, and what to do when it doesn’t come easily. Journey to Better Reading is a place where I share clear, practical guidance rooted in how the reading brain works, so every child can become a confident, capable reader.

I’ve been teaching children to read since 1992, and I still love this work as much as I did on my very first day in the classroom. From fourth grade to eighth grade, from middle school reading classes to elementary interventions, I’ve seen firsthand that reading success isn’t about luck or guessing or being “a reading kid.” It’s about giving children the instruction their brains need to connect sounds, letters, and meaning.

Early in my career, I realized that simply surrounding kids with books wasn’t enough. Many students, especially those with dyslexia or persistent reading difficulties, needed explicit, systematic teaching to truly make sense of print. That led me back to graduate school for a master’s in reading, where the research aligned with what I had been observing all along: reading is a taught skill, and every child benefits from instruction that is clear, structured, and responsive.

That belief is now at the heart of Journey to Better Reading.

Here, you’ll find practical tips rooted in the Science of Reading, strategies teachers can use right away, and routines that families and homeschoolers can put into practice at home. You’ll also find explanations of the key ideas behind learning to read, like how the brain forms reading pathways and why approaches such as phonics, phonemic awareness, and morphology matter so much.

My hope is that this site becomes a reliable companion for anyone supporting a reader:

• Parents trying to understand why their child is struggling

• Teachers looking for routines that actually move students forward

• Homeschoolers wanting clarity and confidence

• Anyone learning how to build strong language and literacy foundations

No matter where you are on your journey, you’re welcome here. I’m glad you’ve found your way to this space, and I look forward to walking alongside you as we explore research, routines, and resources that make a real difference for kids.

Let’s keep moving forward, one step at a time, on the journey to better reading.

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