Book Buddies

Marcia Invernizzi, PhD, is the Edmund H. Henderson Professor Emerita of Reading Education at the University of Virginia (UVA). As cofounder of Book Buddies and PALS, an early literacy screening and diagnostic tool for PreK through the elementary grades, she has a strong interest in evidence-based practices to ensure early language and literacy success. These practices were honed at UVA's McGuffey Reading Center, a reading clinic that Dr. Invernizzi directed for many years, and are described in several of her coauthored books, including Words Their Way. A former classroom teacher and reading specialist, Dr. Invernizzi continues to engage with preschools, elementary schools, and educational organizations seeking to ensure that all children learn to read.Donna Lewis-Wagner, MEd, is a reading specialist and coordinator of the University of Virginia's America Reads federal work-study program. She has served in elementary schools as a Book Buddies coordinator, Title I reading teacher, and intervention coordinator. A former journalist and publicist, Ms. Lewis-Wagner was inspired by her 4 years as a Book Buddies volunteer tutor to pursue a career in reading education, earning her master's degree in reading from the University of Virginia.Francine R. Johnston, EdD, retired from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2012, where she taught courses in literacy and coordinated the Reading Master's Program. After teaching first grade for 12 years, she later worked as a Book Buddies coordinator while pursuing her doctorate in reading education. Dr. Johnston has a special interest in how children learn to read and spell and is the illustrator and coauthor of Words Their Way.Connie Juel, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Education at Stanford University. Her research focuses on literacy acquisition, with a particular interest in how classroom instruction affects the development of children with different reading and linguistic profiles. A former elementary school teacher, Dr. Juel is noted for her longitudinal research on models of reading development and her work on interventions to help struggling readers. She is a recipient of the Oscar S. Causey Award for outstanding contributions to reading research from the Literacy Research Association and was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame.