To help all middle school educators encourage their students to build literate lives both within the classroom and well beyond it, a veteran middle school teacher has brought together middle school teachers and teacher leaders, a children's author, a children's literature scholar, a reading and writing workshop teacher-author, and a censorship expert to examine current middle school literacy practices that support students' rights to read and write. By showcasing their experiences and activities, and positioning NCTE policy statements-The Students' Right to Read and NCTE Beliefs about the Students' Right to Write-as foundational guiding documents, the book proves that even in today's standards-driven environment, authentic reading and writing practices can create literacy-rich middle school classrooms. As a bonus, teachers who don't have strong support in their schools to implement these practices will find a myriad of suggestions for developing a virtual personal learning network-a grassroots professional development tailored to their needs and interests-that will support them in their efforts to help kids as readers and writers.