Literature Circles
The structure of a literature circle enables children to "do" literacy. The literacy event includes talking, reading, writing, and representing. Literature circles evolve over time. It has taken over fourteen in- school months for the students and teachers to take complete ownership of the process. As Regie Routman (1994) states, "...It is important to allow ourselves and our students lots of time for change and give ourselves credit for taking a risk and trying a new format" (p. 123). The social interaction of the book club concept immerses the children in a view of reading instruction "based on social constructivist theory which emphasizes learning as a social process" (Raphael & MacMahon, 1994, p. 102). The benefits of literature circles include more in-class reading time and the opportunity to dialogue with their peers about books. These activities lead to growth in critical thinking skills which are necessary for literacy achievement.

Mentors
With the mentors, both boys and girls reported that they really enjoyed the program. They developed a social relationship with each other over fourteen in school months. The point of the read aloud sessions was clear and purposeful for both parties. The mentors were as engaged as the children. These sessions were filled with active discussions about the books; the author's style and purpose; and the choice of response all under the supervision of the mentors. The benefits for the children were both indirect and direct. Indirectly, they were exposed to those factors suggested by PISA (OECD, 2001) as being important when measuring literacy achievement. A direct benefit was to the children's literacy development. This included the students' increased access to books; a growing knowledge of authors and illustrators; and exposure to authors' writing styles which includes word choice, genre, plot events and character development.