“The book leads with 10 powerful ‘North Star’ principles that guide teachers and school leaders to envision high-quality, purposeful, responsive, and practical literacy intervention in grades 4-8. This book will help preservice and inservice teachers to develop a comprehensive understanding of their students as active readers and to target areas of unfinished literacy learning. The book will be useful to anyone designing multi-tiered systems of support in literacy.”

—Stephanie Tatel, MAT, MEd, Coordinator of Literacy, Charlottesville City Schools, Virginia


“As a reading specialist, teacher educator, and researcher working in middle-grades classrooms since 1982, I can attest that Flanigan and Hayes have produced an intervention resource that is both deep and wide. The authors weave theory and case studies in memorable ways that bring important constructs to life. Educators can rely on this book for research-based, explicit, systematic instructional suggestions—for guidance on where to start and where to go next. The practices in this book push hard for measurable progress that kids can see, because for middle-grades learners, there is no time to waste.”

—Kathleen J. Brown, PhD, Director, University of Utah Reading Clinic


“In this exceptional, one-of-a-kind work, master teachers and mentors Flanigan and Hayes guide intermediate and middle-grades teachers to catch students 'before they fall.' The book provides the foundational literacy knowledge required to teach older students with significant literacy challenges. The authors reassuringly demonstrate how to assess, organize, and provide instruction that is developmentally based—so very rare in grades 4–8, yet so critical—thereby ensuring that instruction will be effective, motivating, and lasting. This book will be welcomed as a robust and powerful resource for undergraduate and graduate courses and professional development workshops.”

—Shane Templeton, PhD, Foundation Professor Emeritus of Literacy Studies, University of Nevada, Reno