Gifted Library

Starting a gifted resource library?  For yourself or for your school, which titles should you purchase?  And why?  Here's the short list...

Overview of the state of gifted education

Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds by Jan and Bob Davidson, with Laura Vanderkam

The Davidsons offer an absorbing look at how our nation is neglecting children of exceptional intelligence. They make a compelling case for re-approaching giftedness as a potential disability (to give more attention to gifted kids) and an even stronger argument for parents, teachers and citizens to consider the potential loss to American society in the costliest imaginable terms.  For excerpts and review, visit Genius Denied.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

The War Against Excellence: The Rising Time of Mediocrity in America's Middle Schools by Cheri Pierson Yecke

Radical activists do not see the American middle school as an organization to impart academic knowledge, but as an instrument through which they can force social change. Yecke, an experienced teacher and administrator, shows how these activists have implemented their plans and endangered the education of all middle school children--especially those who are gifted...

If you can only purchase one book, for teachers and administrators, make it this one!

Being Gifted in School: An Introduction to Development, Guidance, And Teaching by Laurence J. Coleman & Tracy L. Cross

For educators, includes definitions and models of giftedness; identification of the gifted; teaching methods and best practices; creativity; counseling and guidance; administrative arrangements; and program prototypes and evaluation...

Introduction to gifted education, for parents and educators

Being Smart about Gifted Education: A Guidebook for Educators and Parents by Dona J. Matthews and Joanne F. Foster

Practical strategies for the education of exceptionally high ability (a.k.a. gifted) children.  After addressing all the questions, debates and arguments about nature vs. nurture, elitism, testing, creativity, and more... all that's left is to serve the child's educational needs! Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Guiding the Gifted Child: A Practical Source for Parents and Teachers by James T. Webb, Elizabeth A. Meckstroth, Stephanie S. Tolan

Considered the classic text of this field. Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children by James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore, Edward R. Amend & Arlene R. DeVries

Raising a gifted child is both a joy and a challenge...  guides parents through all the phases and possibilities of the gifted child, including underachievement, sensitivities, twice exceptionalities, friendships, siblings, schools, identification, and much more!

Introduction to gifted testing, for parents

Parent's Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education by David Palmer

Great introduction to IQ testing and gifted children.  Answers your questions, from Why test? to What do the scores mean? and What about scores of twice exceptional children?  Every parent entering the gifted education world should read this book.  Read An Interview with David Palmer: About I.Q. And Parents Understanding of Intelligence

Further introduction to gifted education, with tons of research citations (and it's FREE!)

A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students The Templeton National Report on Acceleration

Acceleration is a powerful educational ally, but it’s a strategy that requires participation of parents as well as sensitivity to individual needs and circumstances. For that reason, this report is designed not only to persuade readers of the value of acceleration, but also to help schools administer acceleration programs effectively....
Also read the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) reply Acceleration in Schools: A Call to Action

Comprehensive texts on Gifted Education...

Academic Acceleration of Gifted Children edited by Southern and Jones

A comprehensive textbook on acceleration, with chapters on early acceptance to kindergarten or to college, affective development of acceleration of gifted students, identification of good candidates.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk
 

Being Gifted in School: An Introduction to Development, Guidance, And Teaching by Laurence J. Coleman & Tracy L. Cross

For educators, includes definitions and models of giftedness; identification of the gifted; teaching methods and best practices; creativity; counseling and guidance; administrative arrangements; and program prototypes and evaluation...
 

Counseling the Gifted and Talented by Linda Kreger Silverman

A great resource for understanding the many and complex needs of gifted children... Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Counseling Gifted and Talented Children: A Guide for Teachers, Counselors, and Parents by Roberta M. Milgram

Gives counselors, classroom teachers, gifted education specialists, and parents an understanding of the academic and social-personal needs of gifted and talented students, awareness of ways that they themselves may help these children, and an introduction to the available guidance strategies and materials... Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Handbook of Gifted Education by Nicholas Colangelo and Gary A. Davis, editors

This book is a must-have for teachers, administrators and parents of the gifted. The diversity of articles includes all the hot topics of gifted education written by some of the best known experts in the field. This book is especially good for the serious reader who has some background in gifted.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Programs and Services for Secondary Gifted Students: A Guide to Recommended Practices by Felicia A. Dixon

A reference for service and program options for practitioners, administrators, and coordinators; a companion to the more in-depth The Handbook of Secondary Gifted Education.  Part I: the gifted adolescent's cognitive social and emotional dimensions, including suggestions for academic, personal/social, and career exploration best practices; Part II: programmatic offerings such as AP and IB, distance learning, magnet and other special schools, study abroad, and early entrance to college options; Part III: a view of optimal future directions—taking into account obstacles to change in today’s high schools...

 

Education and Curriculum...

The Cluster Grouping Handbook: How to Challenge Gifted Students and Improve Achievement for All by Susan Winebrenner and Dina Brulles

In today’s standards-driven era, how can teachers motivate and challenge gifted learners and ensure that all students reach their potential? This book provides a compelling answer: the Schoolwide Cluster Grouping Model (SCGM).  Find a wealth of teacher-tested classroom strategies along with detailed information on identifying students for clusters, gaining support from parents, and providing ongoing professional development. Special attention toward empowering gifted English language learners. CD-ROM features all of the reproducible forms plus a PowerPoint presentation...
 

Comprehensive Curriculum For Gifted Learners by Joyce VanTassel-Baska

Most comprehensive and most practical text on the theory and practical considerations involved in helping gifted students excel...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Content Based Curriculum for High Ability Learners by Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Catherine Little

Written by recognized gifted curriculum leader VanTassel-Baska and her associates at the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary, this award-winning service publication of the National Association for Gifted Children illustrates award-winning curriculum units in language arts, social studies and science...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Developing Math Talent: A Guide for Educating Gifted and Advanced Learners in Math by Susan Assouline and Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik

Educators (and parents) guide to educating the math-gifted child... Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Reforming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child by Karen Rogers

For parents and educators, planning the educational program for a gifted child.  Everything you need to prepare, negotiate, and execute the best possible educational option for each child. Read DITD review...
 

The Handbook of Secondary Gifted Education by Felicia A. Dixon and Sidney Moon

An in-depth, research-based look at ways schools and classrooms can support the development of gifted adolescents.  Each chapter is written by leading scholars and researchers in the field, including Nicholas Colangelo, Susan Assouline, Sally Reis, Donna Ford, Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Carolyn Callahan, more...

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction: best practices for the classroom by Julia L. Roberts & Tracy F. Inman

Most comprehensive and most practical text on the theory and practical considerations involved in helping gifted students excel... 
 

Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use to Meet the Academic Needs of the Gifted and Talented by Susan Winebrenner Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
CD of reproducibles is now included with the revised, expended and updated edition.

An excellent guide to modifying curriculum for gifted elementary and middle school students in the regular classroom

Teaching With Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom by Jim Fay and David Funk

Demonstrates through various scenarios, tips, and "pearls of wisdom" how and why conducting your class or school according to four key principles can validate your authority, and empower your students.  Presents practical ways in which teachers and administrators can help their students become confident, responsible individuals, internalized in their discipline... Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Writing Like Writers: Guiding Elementary Children Through a Writer's Workshop by Kathryn L. Johnson & Pamela V. Westkott

Guided Writer's Workshop for elementary (and even secondary!) students. An excellent resource for teachers, homeschoolers, and students.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

Exceptionally or profoundly gifted children?  Read this book!

Exceptionally Gifted Children by Miraca Gross

If you have an exceptionally gifted child, Read This Book! A fascinating study of a small group of exceptionally gifted (IQ>160) children, Gross follows these children over 20 years, and includes extensive details about their interests, family background, progress through school, and social and emotional as well as academic status. Gross shows that when these children are not allowed to learn at an appropriate pace and level it places them at serious risk.  Also available from from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

Grade acceleration, should you, or shouldn't you?

Iowa Acceleration Scale Manual; A Guide for Whole-Grade Acceleration (Amazon or Barnes & Noble) by Susan G. Assouline, Nicholas Colangelo, Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, Jonathan Lipscomb, Leslie Forstadt

For schools or parents, the Iowa Acceleration Scale provides a systematic and thorough approach to considering and implementing academic acceleration for gifted and talented students in grades K-8; read Hoagies' detailed review.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk or
 

Free and priceless - everyone should have and read!
A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students The Templeton National Report on Acceleration

Acceleration is a powerful educational ally, but it’s a strategy that requires participation of parents as well as sensitivity to individual needs and circumstances. For that reason, this report is designed not only to persuade readers of the value of acceleration, but also to help schools administer acceleration programs effectively... Now available in 8 languages! Click for Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. (requires ^{Adobe Reader})  Also read the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) reply Acceleration in Schools: A Call to Action

Introduction to the social / emotional aspects of gifted children

Living With Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults by Susan Daniels & Michael M. Piechowski

Do you know an intense gifted child?  You must read this book!  An easy-to-read volume for parents, teachers, psychologists, everyone dealing with the gifted child, that explains the inexplicable, and guides us all in guiding the growth and development of our gifted children...

On the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Children by Tracy Cross

A compilation of Tracy Cross' columns from Gifted Child Today in a single book... what we know, and what we don't know about the social and emotional issues facing gifted children.  Revised and updated version is even more comprehensive, for parents and educators...
 

The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know? by Maureen Neihart, Sally M. Reis, Nancy M. Robinson, Sidney M. Moon

What does the research (slim as it is) tell us?  Essential reading for those who wish to enable gifted students to develop their strengths and to position them to make the contributions of which they are capable.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

Elementary and middle school math enrichment, extraordinaire!

Language arts is key; here's the key to excellent L.A. instruction!

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts Curriculum by Michael Clay Thompson, from Royal Fireworks Press

I don't know how to explain Michael Clay Thompson's curriculum, except to say... gifted students, no matter where their gifts lie, need this curriculum.  I had the honor of hearing Michael speak about his Grammar Voyage and The Magic Lens grammar curricula and Practice Sentence student workbook series... and I was enthralled.  Please know, I am a math-y and a computer geek - I do not do language arts, if I can help it.  But this curriculum made grammar interesting to me!  Word Within The Word offers middle and secondary level, vocabulary-building curriculum that is like no other.  Sentence Island, Paragraph Town and Essay Voyage form the elementary writing curriculum.  And there's much more... investigate all the Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts Curriculum  For videos of Michael Clay Thompson's presentations, and to see why this math-geek is so excited by his curriculum, view Michael Clay Thompson Videos

Every parent and teacher of readers should have this book... that's all of us!

Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Preschool to High School by Judith Wynn Halsted

Roeper Review says "...should be on the shelf of every school library, whether that school offers gifted programming or not."  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

Thorough introduction to twice exceptional gifted children, plus extra on Asperger's and more...  Parents should have at least one of these; schools should have all three!

Misdiagnosis And Dual Diagnoses Of Gifted Children And Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, Depression, And Other Disorders by James T. Webb, Edward R. Amend, Nadia E. Webb, Jean Goerss, Paul Beljan, F. Richard Olenchak, and Sharon Lind

Physicians, psychologist, and counselors are unaware of characteristics of gifted children and adults that mimic pathological diagnoses. Six nationally prominent health care professionals describe ways parents and professionals can distinguish between gifted behaviors and pathological behaviors...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

The Mislabeled Child: How Understanding Your Child's Unique Learning Style Can Open the Door to Success by Brock Eide and Fernette Eide

Misapplied labels can be devastating; properly diagnosed labels can change a child's life.  The Eides can help professionals and parents alike, to find the proper labels, as well as learning tools, exercises, and therapies that help children with similar labels.  Each chapter covers a unique learning challenge: Visual Problems, Attention Problems, Autism and Autism-like Disorders, and more...
 

Different Minds: Gifted Children With AD/HD, Asperger Syndrome, and other Learning Deficits by Deirdre V. Lovecky

Recognizing the different levels and kinds of giftedness, Lovecky provides insight into the challenges and benefits specific to gifted children with various learning difficulties.  Guides parents and professionals through diagnosis and advises on how best to nurture individual needs, positive behavior and relationships at home and at school...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

For specific LDs, these are must read books...

Asperger's: What Does It Mean to Me? by Catherine Faherty

The book most requested by parents and teachers. Written by a leading therapist, this workbook is a must-have for the person with high functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome. Includes chapters to help explain their world.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism by Temple Grandin and Kate Duffy

Society loses out if individuals with autism spectrum disorders are not involved in the world of work, or make other kinds of contributions to society.  This book takes readers -- those on the autism spectrum and their family members, teachers, counselors -- through the career planning process...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

In the Mind's Eye: Visual Thinkers, Gifted People With Dyslexia and Other Learning Difficulties, Computer Images and the Ironies of Creativity by Thomas G. West

This book has strong implications for anyone who has ever considered autism, dyslexia, or learning difficulties to be horrible things that must be stamped out. It shows that the apparent "weakness" and "lack of ability" in some areas can really be an aspect of a major (but often unrecognized) area of strength...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction by Carol Stock Kranowitz

Do you know a child who plays too rough, is uncoordinated, hates being touched, is ultra-sensitive (or unusually insensitive) to noise or sensations of heat and cold?  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

If you have an exceptionally spirited child, this book is written for you.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
Now Also available Raising Your Spirited Child Workbook.  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

When the Brain Can't Hear: Unraveling the Mystery of Auditory Processing Disorder by Teri James Bellis

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) occurs when the brain cannot process or understand correctly the sounds the ears hear, even though the ears might be functioning properly. It is rarely recognized, often misdiagnosed, and poorly understood, yet the effects can be devastating...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

For parent advocates...

Empowering Gifted Minds: Educational Advocacy That Works by Barbara Gilman

Empowering Gifted Minds discusses the many questions parents ask (or should ask!) in the years after learning their child is gifted, offering answers, ideas, and sometimes, more questions to ask.  See my detailed review on Amazon...  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

Guides for the kids, elementary school and teen

The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide (For Ages 10 and Under) by Judy Galbraith Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

The Gifted Kids Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook by Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

 

Or for wise words from kids, for kids...

More Than a Test Score: Teens Talk About Being Gifted, Talented, or Otherwise Extra-ordinary by Robert A. Shultz and James R. Delisle

What is giftedness all about? What's it like to be smarter than some of your friends? What about expectations, mistakes, getting along, gifted programs, and dull days at school? Includes hundreds of quotes from teens ages 13-19, brief biographies, and activities. Essential reading for gifted teens... 
 

Smart Talk: What Kids Say About Growing Up Gifted by Robert A. Shultz and James R. Delisle

Hundreds of kids from around the world, ages 4 to 12, share their deepest, truest thoughts about about peers, families, school, and their futures.  Being gifted has its upside and downside, and the kids talk about both... 

 

The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids: How to Understand, Live With, and Stick Up for Your Gifted Child by Sally Yahnke Walker  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

The ultimate guides to surviving and thriving in a world that doesn't always value, support, or understand high ability...

For those families who are (or will ever consider) homeschooling their gifted children... even teachers will gain a great deal from this book!

Creative Home Schooling: A Resource Guide for Smart Families by Lisa Rivero

This terrific book is for homeschooling parents and more - there is information for schooling parents, school teachers, gifted teachers, and more, on gifted children, learning styles, internet resources, and so much more!

Parenting and teaching strategies that work with gifted kids...

Parenting With Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility by Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline Also available on cassette and CD, and from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
Parenting Teens With Love & Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood Also available on cassette and from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years Also available on CD and from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
Meeting the Challenge: Using Love and Logic to Help Children Develop Attention and Behavior Skills
Teaching With Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom by Jim Fay and David Funk  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

A common sense approach to raising children, with lots of humor and positive suggestions for dealing with negative situations. Great parenting resource!

What next?

College is Yours in 600 Words or Less: The Roeper School College Handbook by Patrick O'Connor

A quick but complete guide that leads you through the maze of college selection with the simple, revolutionary idea that students already have great lives-- what they now need is a college where they can live that great life, and learn more about themselves and the world...
 

College Planning for Gifted Students: Choosing And Getting into the Right College by Sandra L. Berger

Everything you need to know and do, starting in 7th and stepping right through 12th grade, to plan for college for your gifted student.  Why don't the school counselors tell us this?!  Timelines, checklists, and more
 

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges by Loren Pope

Thinking about college? Looking for the 'right' college for yourself, or your child? This book is for you! Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca
 

Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different by Donald Asher

Thinking about college? Looking for the 'right' college for yourself, or your child? This book is for you!  Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

For gifted adults... many of us "find" ourselves in our struggles raising and educating our gifted kids...

Gifted Grownups: The Mixed Blessings of Extraordinary Potential by Marylou Kelly Streznewski

Examine old and new research on the nature of intelligence and other gifts and explore ways gifted people hide their talents; includes interviews with a highly diverse collection of 100 gifted adults. An excellent book for every gifted adult, or adult with gifted children... Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

Excellent miscellaneous titles...

Living When a Loved One Has Died by Earl Grollman

...explains what emotions to expect when mourning, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to work through feelings of loss. Suitable for pocket or bedside, this gentle book guides the lonely and suffering as they move through the many facets of grief, begin to heal, and slowly build new lives (teen to adult)
 

Raisin' Brains by Karen L.J. Isaacson

A humorous look inside the home of 5 very gifted children... from the mom's point of view.  Prepare to have your funny bone tickled!
 

Amazon.com, earth's biggest (discount!) bookstore. Current books listed are Amazon links; click on a title and make your purchase to support Hoagies' Gifted Education Page through Amazon's Associates program -- Thanks!  Or for books closer to home, visit Amazon.ca or Amazon.co.uk

Abebooks is the world's largest online marketplace for used, rare, and out-of-print books. Abebooks connects those who buy books with those who sell them, providing abundant selection at affordable prices.  Alibris is the other alternative for locating used books - check them out.  Hoagies' Gifted Education Page is also an Abebooks and Alibris associate.  Thanks!
 

Last updated January 15, 2010