11 Best PD Books for English Teachers

I’ve read my fair share of PD books, and some are much better than others. When I was in the classroom, I used these books for English teachers to enhance my lessons and work with students. Now, I utilize what I learn to create resources and workshops that support your efforts in the classroom. Through all my reading, I’ve landed on a few favorites that I refer back to time and time again.

I’m sharing these PD book titles because you’ll find endless options when you search online. But like I said, some aren’t that great. I don’t want you to waste your time reading the bad. Instead, you can pick up these books and walk away with the knowledge you were looking for.

PD Books to Foster a Love of Reading

One of the biggest struggles as a middle school ELA teacher is getting kids to want to read. They often come to you struggling and reluctant to read. These are some of the best books for English teachers that touch on fostering a love of reading.

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller 

You’ve probably heard of Donalyn Miller and for good reasons. Her books touch on the desire every teacher has: building life-long readers. Miller’s book is a practical guide to fostering a love of reading, and it starts with ditching rigid routines and drills. Instead, she talks a lot about book self-selection, giving students time to read, and setting expectations for students (without the consequences that set students back).

Readicide by Kelly Gallagher 

If your school requires you to read certain books or classic texts, I highly recommend this teacher book. In Readicide, Gallagher covers how schools are killing the love of reading – and what you can do about it.

Book Love by Penny Kittle

As an ELA teacher, you want your students to want to read. This book for English teachers breaks down how to tackle the problems that inhibit a love of reading. Kittle digs into the importance of student choice and giving students time to read. She also talks about the balance between independent reading and novel study.

In the Best Interest of Students by Kelly Gallagher

This is a unique take on fostering the love of reading. Gallagher explores Common Core standards, including its strengths and weaknesses. He talks about how teaching standards are only part of the equation. The other (and more important part) is teaching strategies that create authentic reading experiences.

Books for English Teachers Who Want to Be Inspired

Teaching is hard work. You can implement all the right tools and strategies, and you’ll still experience bad lessons or chaotic days. If you’re feeling uninspired when planning or need to jumpstart your passion for teaching, these books for English teachers are here to help.

Keeping the Wonder by Jenna Copper, Ashley Bible, Staci Lamb, and Abigail Gross

There is a lot of content to get through in middle school ELA. It’s easy to trudge through it and let engagement fall by the wayside. Keeping the Wonder is here to inspire your lessons and keep the wonder of reading alive in your classroom. The author’s philosophy is that by tapping into students’ natural curiosity, you can create meaningful learning experiences that lead to growth.

180 Days by Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle

If you’ve ever wondered, “How am I going to fit all this content in?”, then this is the book for you. In this PD book, Gallagher and Kittle help you narrow in on what’s important – so you can fit it all into 180 days. It will ease some stress over planning and inspire you to see the possibilities in front of you.

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller and Susan Kelley

Donalyn Miller continues the conversation from her book The Reading Whisperer in this book for English teachers. Miller and Kelley offer advice on how to develop and grow reading habits in students to lead to lifelong reading. I always love how Miller thinks outside the box (and sets the expectations low). Her inspiring strategies aren’t overly complicated, and you can begin using them right away.

PD Books for Teaching Writing

Writing can be a struggle to teach. There are so many skills wrapped up in an essay. Not to mention, a lot of students get stuck in coming up with an idea. These teacher books will give you strategies and practical advice for teaching reading.

But How Do You Teach Writing? by Barry Lane 

This book focuses on three parts: getting started with writing, writing across genres, and revising and editing. Lane does a great jump of explaining the strategies he uses, and you can immediately put them into practice.

Write Like This by Keep Gallagher

You know how much I love mentor texts! In this book for English teachers, Gallagher addresses the importance of using real-world texts (AKA mentor texts) to build students’ writing skills. He also thinks beyond writing for a test. The focus is on helping students become adult writers who can apply their skills in the real world.

Beyond Literary Analysis by Allison Marchetti and Rebekah O’Dell

Literary analysis is hard – for you and your students! Getting students to dig deep and analyze what they’ve read is a struggle all ELA teachers can relate to. In this PD book, Marchetti and O’Dell take analysis to the 21st century and help you utilize students’ passions to build analytical skills.

Writing Circles by James Vopat

I love book clubs and literature circles, so this book was intriguing and inspired a new way to approach writing! In this novel, Vopat talks about how peer-led writing groups can be an effective writing strategy – especially if your students already do well with literature circles.

I hope you check out some of these books for English teachers! I don’t recommend diving into them all at once. Instead, pick the PD book that sounds interesting and start there. You’re more likely to get through it and be excited to apply what you’ve read.