This book is an exploration of the crossroads of reader-response and second language acquisition theories and research as a foundation for practice. It provides a model for teaching with literature that supports language and literacy development for students learning English as a first or second language. The book is organized in three parts. Part 1, Literature and Language Theory into Practice, begins with a conversation about a real classroom experience (Chapter 1), maps out the crossroads of reader response theory and second language acquisition theories and research as a foundation for practice in the context of current social constructivist approaches to teaching (Chapter 2), and bridges theory to practice by showing a model for student-centered and response-centered instruction that supports first- and second-language and literacy development (Chapter 3). Part 2, Case Studies of Children, describes and interprets the language and literacy development of three children from kindergarten through fifth grade: a native speaker of English (Chapter 4), a native speaker of Spanish (Chapter 5), and a bilingual student fluent in Spanish and English (Chapter 6). Part 3, Literature and Language Crossroads in a Bilingual Classroom, gives a third-grade bilingual teacher's perspective on the crossroad of reader-response and language acquisition. In Chapter 7 he reflects on his own practices, providing a picture of reader-response in action; in Chapter 8 he answers the "how-to" questions vital to putting theory into practice in nontechnical language with detailed examples. (NKA)