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The contributors outline findings from practice and research around literacy development from the US, New Zealand, Canada, Britain, Sweden, Mexico, China, Singapore, Brunei and Hong Kong. The first part of the book looks generally at improving school-based literacy development. Two essays in this section outline the importance of decoding and comprehension to successful reading, and how a broader cognitive and social awareness can be developed to support comprehension. Other essays consider how the phonemic and phonological awareness, vocabulary and self-monitoring skills assist in students’ literacy development. Contributions in the second part of the book focus on literacy development outside of school. The final section of the book focuses on changing literacy practices. The outlines of studies and programs in this section aim to show how teacher pre-conceptions, responses and reflections can shape the literacy development of students. (Adapted from review by Margaret Mackey in Literacy, vol 40, no3, November 2006.)

Four literacy theories are explained and illustrated, with a focus on active meaning making, community, analysis, purpose and understanding literacy as a critical social practice. The book addresses the complexity of and constantly changing relationship between theory and practice for each literacy tradition, but highlights the benefits that articulating theory and reflecting on practice can provide. New literacy studies, sociocultural and historical theory, critical literacy, literacy and new technologies are the theories, each of which is considered separately. For each, the book explores cultural and historical development, implications for practice and research, and a case study. An expert on each theory offers commentary, using the theoretical background and case study to show how theory translates to, and is transformed by, practice. Comentators include Barbara Comber, Brian Street, Barbara Rogoff, Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel. Later chapters examine how the theories work together, how they link to educational goals, and further implications for teachers and researchers. Definitions of literacy terms are provided throughout the book. (Adapted from review by Christine Hall in Literacy, November 2006, p180).

Based on focus group research with Australians aged between 16 and 24, this report finds that young people's views on education, work and the future greatly differ from previous generations, and represent a ‘point of change in Australia’s social and economic history’. Unlike previous generations, members of Generation Y have not experienced an economic downturn, and tend to be highly confident in their own abilities to secure work. Respondents generally felt that the future of work would be based on mobility and adaptability, and did not expect to have one job for life. The ambitions of Generation Y tended to focus on obtaining a car, a house, getting married and having children, with few expressing a desire to change the world. The report shows that those from low-income households and those who do not complete Year 12 are less likely to be fully engaged in work or study. The authors go on to suggest that young people in these categories are in danger of social isolation and economic disadvantage, which could widen gaps between social classes. The focus groups did include unemployed youth and young mothers, who tended to also lack the educational attainments of the ‘broad middle’. Many in these groups felt trapped in menial work and could not afford the education necessary to improve their employment prospects. Many respondents suggested that immigrants should ‘fit in and conform to our ways’ in Australian society. The research did not include those from Indigenous communities or ethnic and religious minorities, and mentions that most views extend from a ‘broad middle’ base of respondents. While noting that these views do not represent all young people in Australia, researchers were struck by the ‘dominant themes and their emergence in every group whether city or country, school aged, tertiary educated or in the workforce’. (Adapted from author's overview.)