"Hands-on Literacy Coaching focuses on two central pedagogical issues: exemplary literacy instruction and exemplary coaching. From the physical set-up of a classroom to management strategies, designing lessons and fostering literacy knowledge, the first part of the book lays the foundation for what excellent literacy teachers do and why they do it.
The second part of the book examines the how-to of literacy coaching. How to use intervention strategies, how to apply coaching principles and how to adapt to a teacher’s unique style, technique and personality are all analyzed in detail. The last chapter deals with three teaching scenarios aimed at stimulating discussion among coaches and their colleagues.
Each chapter ends with thought-provoking study-guide questions for coaches. The author includes some handy and purposeful charts, checklists and protocols that coaches can integrate into their own practice. Readers are invited to visit the publisher’s interactive web site for further discussion and reflection and to offer feedback."
—Reviewed in Professionally Speaking (Sept. 2008) by Anjana Thom, elementary instructional resource teacher with the Peel DSB.

“Hands-On Literacy Coaching is a must-read for beginning and experienced coaches alike. Using reflection questions and coaching scenarios, Nancy Boyles provides insights and great resources for being an effective literacy coach.”
—Brian Dorman, President, Florida Literacy Coaches Association

“I have just finished reading your new book on coaching and am ready to start reading it again! It came as no surprise that this book followed in the tradition of Nancy Boyles' books as an excellent resource for literacy coaches and administrators. I had an incredible flashback to the first time I met you in New Haven after I had just watched your excellent coaching session with the literacy coaches...I left there singing your praises to everyone and secretly hoping that I could some day have the same smooth, gentle, and invitational delivery that you do when working with teachers. You are a master! For the last several years, I have been reading everything I can on this topic and thus far I truly feel that your book offers the most pragmatic support to coaches doing this work. I will be happy and proud to recommend it to my colleagues (and have already started!). Thank you so much for your superb contributions to our field.”
—Linda Kauffmann, Senior Education Specialist-Teaching and Learning, Capitol Region Education Council, Hartford, CT

"This is a highly accessible, reader-friendly book for literacy coaches. Published in a workbook style, this book is designed for ease of use: Clearly and logically labeled subheadings make it easy to navigate, pull-out quotes help focus on important points, study questions conclude each chapter and encourage reflection and implementation, and several forms and worksheets offer help with planning and organization...This is a pro-teacher book intended to help literacy coaches design effective professional development practices with teachers...Because of the author's approach--what is good literacy teaching, and what is good literacy coaching?--this book is a great resource for any professional new to literacy coaching but would also be a valuable resource for classroom literacy teachers looking to reflect on and improve upon their own instruction and administrators who want to better understand literacy coaching...This is a ready resource for every literacy coach or teacher."
—Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse, Oct. 2007