Issue Theme: Reading for Justice

Too often, students are taught to see reading in the narrowest sense, as an exercise in putting one word after the next and being ready to parrot back. Real reading is a conversation: We get excited, disgusted, confused, inspired—full of ideas and feelings we want to share. This issue of Rethinking Schools highlights approaches and resources for encouraging students toward deep involvement and critical thinking about literature.

"Save the Muslim Girl!"
by Özlem Sensoy and Elizabeth Marshall
In the years since 9/11, books like The Breadwinner and Broken Moon have become staples in many English classes. But does this young adult literature about Muslim girls build understanding or reinforce stereotypes?

Baghdad Burning Heats Up World History
By Jody Sokolower
It’s always a struggle to work current events into history classes. A blog by a young Iraqi woman about her day-to-day life in Baghdad provides an opportunity to connect the medieval Abbasid Empire to today’s news.

Reading by the Numbers
By Susan Straight
Does Accelerated Reading really promote a love of literature, or just a love of points? Harry Potter scores 44; Hamlet gets 7.

Beyond the Medal: Representations of Disability in Caldecott Winners
By Chloë Myers-Hughes and Hank Bersani Jr.
We often think of Caldecott books as the gold standard for picture books. Here the authors of "10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Ableism" look at what these prize-winning books tell young children about disability.

There's a lot more inside this issue.