THE EXCELLENT 11: An Award-Winning Teacher's Guide to Raising Children Who Love to Learn

Part memoir, part inspirational tract and part handbook for beginning teachers, Clark's treatise on how to get children excited about learning lays out some underlying principles of teaching, covering 11 fundamentals: enthusiasm, adventure, creativity, reflection, balance, compassion, confidence, humor, common sense, appreciation and resilience. (This analysis follows Clark's bestselling The Essential 55 .) Clark, who was named Disney Teacher of the Year in 2001, shares some of his own blunders and many of his successes while learning to teach, many of which may help new teachers trying to figure out the basics. In a rambling style, Clark relays anecdote after anecdote, as he weaves back and forth from his life as a teacher to his childhood and more advice for teachers, including such details as how to write notes home to parents about field trips. There isn't much depth here, and the book doesn't analyze the nitty-gritty of Clark's own teaching methods or of educational ideas. Indeed, it's more a motivational speech than an educational text, and it isn't hard to imagine Clark speaking these words aloud. However, the book does include some valuable nuggets on how to build children's confidence, help them remember information and teach them to be compassionate, advice that all teachers—but especially inexperienced ones—will find valuable and thought provoking. Agent, Richard Abate . (Aug. 1)

Forecast: National publicity, a radio satellite tour and national print ads will boost sales of Clark's second book.