Lester L. Laminack is Professor Emeritus, Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, where he received two awards for excellence in teaching. Lester is now a full-time writer and consultant working with schools throughout the United States and abroad. He is the author or co-author of 18 professional books including Learning with Zachary, Spelling in Use, Volunteers Working with Young Readers, The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts, Learning Under the Influence of Language and Literature, Reading Aloud Across the Curriculum, Climb Inside a Poem, Cracking Open the Author’s Craft, Unwrapping the Read Aloud, Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Aloud and Guided Conversations, The Writing Teacher’s Troubleshooting Guide, Writers ARE Readers: Flipping Reading Strategies into Writing Instruction, Reading to Make a Difference, The Ultimate Read-Aloud Resource: Making Every Moment Intentional and Instructional with Best Friend Books, 2nd edition, and The Ultimate Read Aloud Collection Fiction and Nonfiction.