Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Judith Wynn Halsted (Author)

Book Description

Good books are often good friends. Because gifted readers often intensely identify with characters, good books can provide bridges to new insights and better communication of feelings, values, and decision making, while also fostering intellectual and creative development. Now in its third edition, Some of My Best Friends Are Books describes: Intellectual and emotional needs of children of high ability; Typical and advanced reading patterns for grades K-12; How parents and teachers can give reading guidance and discuss books with young readers; A well-indexed annotated bibliography of more than 300 books for readers of all ages, carefully selected to promote intellectual and emotional development; Books that deal with themes such as Achievement, Aloneness, Arrogance, Developing Imagination, Intensity, Introversion, Perfectionism, Relationships with Others, Sensitivity, and Resiliency; and An index with suggested titles for each theme and the page numbers for short summaries of these titles

Editorial Reviews

Review

A good book can give a child so much. Now in a newly published third edition, (this book) is an advice manual for parents and educators of gifted and talented children who have taken a liking to the world of reading. Aimed primarily at parents, it discusses the social and emotional needs of these children, as well as ways to mentor them and help them find more books that they would enjoy. Well-organized with indexes for easy reference, Some of My Best Friends Are Books is a fine and very much recommended read. --Midwest Book Review

With an easy to read narrative and informative overview and suggestions for supporting these readers to be lifetime readers, this book is a must for teachers, parents, and librarians. Although I already have copies of all the older editions, I will DEFINITELY add this most recent edition to my collection! --Susannah Richards, Associate Professor, Eastern Connecticut State University

This is a terrific resource and I'm quite pleased to recommend it. Fans of the older editions should put it on their wish lists, as it has a great deal of valuable new content. --Lorel Shea, BellaOnline Gifted Education Editor

About the Author

Judith Wynn Halsted retired recently from a long career in education. After majoring in English and earning a teaching certificate, she completed a master s degree in Library Science at the University of Illinois. When her family moved to Traverse City, Michigan, she became the librarian at Pathfinder, a small private school which is now a part of the nationally known Interlochen Arts Academy. At Pathfinder she also developed and directed a program for gifted students. Her interest in the social and emotional development of gifted children rose from her experiences as the parent of two gifted sons. At the suggestion of Dr. James T. Webb, she combined the twin threads of her career path--gifted children and books--and published the first edition of her book, Guiding Gifted Readers, in 1988.

Product Details

• Paperback: 574 pages
• Publisher: Great Potential Pr., Inc.; 3 edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910707960
• ISBN-13: 978-0910707961
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #313,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Education & Reference > Publishing & Books > Bibliographies & Indexes > Literature

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is definitely the best of its kind on the market!, January 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Preschool to High School (Paperback)

Worried that her gifted child was spending too much time reading by himself, a mother admonished her son to go play outside. "But Mom," he replied, "some of my best friends are books!" Thus the name of this wonderful book which describes the role of books in a child's development, and summarizes the social and emotional needs of the gifted reader. In Part Three of the book, Halsted gives an annotated bibliography of over 300 books, each dealing with issues for gifted children. She then presents a set of easy-to-use indexes of the books by grade level and by topic, as well as by author and title. Topics include aloneness, creativity, differentness, intensity, moral concerns, etc. This book truly is "an excellent resource for selecting the right book to guide a child to better understanding of self and situations," according to the California Association for the Gifted Newsletter, and I agree. It is a must-buy or must-borrow book for the parent of any bright child from kindergarten through high school.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, November 2, 2002

By 

Laura Lynn Walsh "gt-teacher" (Fairbanks, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-School to High School (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I bought this book mainly for the annotations of the books and, for me, the theory and application to classroom situations is a bonus. The part I will use the most is the annotation section, where the book is discussed and pointers are given on what types of issues are addressed. Discussion points, always useful for teachers, are carefully addressed for each book. I wish more books could have been included, but, of course, there are trade-offs in that - longer ==> more expensive.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, August 6, 2003

By 

Kappy Hodges (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-School to High School (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

It is wonderful to find a book that helps you guide your child - ANY child, gifted or not - to exceptional reading material. I loved the books it recommended for my 4 yr old - we picked up several of them at the library and some here on Amazon. The book also pointed out what the exceptional qualities for each book were, so that you could have a better discussion about the book with your child. It was worth the money, since it gives recommendations for ALL ages of child and I will reference it as he grows older.