As students make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn, they find themselves increasingly isolated (Fang 2008; Guthrie and Davis 2003). Gone are the picture books and read alouds of their elementary years; instead, they are faced with dense nonfiction texts and the direction to read and learn the facts. In addition, many science textbooks are written at a level far above the grade they claim to serve (Walton 2006). Students who lack superior reading skills often miss out on important facts from the text and feel frustrated. This article describes how one teacher uses the Textmasters strategy to motivate students to engage with the science textbook. (Contains 6 figures.)