Reasoning that in a basic English class there is barely enough time to read one or two novels a year, an English teacher convinced the principal of a Youngstown junior-senior high school that an independent reading course would be of tremendous value to those students who are avid readers as well as those who enjoy reading but can never seem to find the time. A book list and course objective of ten books in 18 weeks were then devised, and due to lack of funds for materials, the teacher began to collect individual copies of books from the list on her own. In the course, which proved to be very successful, students selected a book and filled in the title, author, and the date they began reading next to their names on a large chart. As they read, they kept a running list of difficult words they encountered, and on which they could later be tested. To keep track of the students' reading, the teacher reviewed index cards on which the students recorded one or two line summaries of their daily reading. When a student completed a book, the teacher assigned a tailor-made activity specifically related to what the student had read and his or her response. Students found that this approach taught them responsibility for their pace and assignments and independence in researching their own ideas. (HTH)