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The Secret Stories: Cracking the Reading Code with the Brain in Mind!
179 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2001
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41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 15, 2025
Is this book well written?
No — on the contrary, it is poorly written. The prose is clunky, and it’s full of gimmicky fallacies and limited citations. It ultimately reinforces negative stereotypes about American teachers and reflects poorly on the profession.
However...
Is this book helpful? Yes.
Needed? Also yes. I don’t know of a better-written alternative that offers clear, comprehensive mnemonics with visuals and music. It’s certainly helpful for kindergarten and first grade, but even my older students have found the stories for variant vowel teams quite memorable.
No — on the contrary, it is poorly written. The prose is clunky, and it’s full of gimmicky fallacies and limited citations. It ultimately reinforces negative stereotypes about American teachers and reflects poorly on the profession.
However...
Is this book helpful? Yes.
Needed? Also yes. I don’t know of a better-written alternative that offers clear, comprehensive mnemonics with visuals and music. It’s certainly helpful for kindergarten and first grade, but even my older students have found the stories for variant vowel teams quite memorable.
December 7, 2021
I love the simplicity of this book! There are little stories that help students remember phonics. Here’s what I don’t like - the posters are bright red and can’t be photocopied. Such a bummer! Bright red really doesn’t fit in my classroom.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews