Early Reading Instruction: what science really tells us about how to teach reading. Diane McGuinness. MIT Press. Highly Recommended. http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?SubID=32533

Language Development and Learning to Read:The Scientific Study of How Language Development Affects Reading Skill. This complementary volume to Diane McGuinness's 'Early Reading Instruction' is available from Amazon:
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262134527/qid%3D1115809646/026-0589737-1355654 Highly Recommended.

Diane McGuinness responds to Charles Hulme's critique of her two books 'Early Reading Instruction' and 'Language Development and Learning to Read' www.syntheticphonics.com/articles/Response%20to%20Charles%20Hulme.pdf

Why Schoolchildren Can't Read. Bonnie Macmillan. Pub. IEA.
Highly Recommended. An academic, British book: essential reading if you're interested in what the research actually says about the best ways to teach reading and the present disparity between research and practice.
www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/educn/educn029.pdf The harm done by 'look and say': a reaction to Bonnie Macmillan's book by Brian Micklethwaite.

Illiteracy in America: Understanding and Resolving a Grave National Problem. Hattyar. Published online at: www.donpotter.net/PDF/Illiteracy%20in%20America.pdf

In Spite of the Alphabet: a study of the teaching of reading. Hunter Diack. Pub. Chatto & Windus (1965). Out of print - try Amazon Marketplace or www.abebooks.co.uk Very interesting and readable guide to the history of the teaching of reading in the UK. Diack was joint author of the phonic 'Royal Road Readers' available in the 1960s.

Progress in Understanding Reading and Learning to Read: From Politics to Science. Stanovich. Guilford Press. Recommended. This academic book summarizes the gains that have been made in key areas of reading research and provides authoritative insights on current controversies and debates.
www.nrrf.org/ivey_review_TCR.htm

Reading Fever: Why phonics must come first. Turner / Burkard. Pub. Centre for Policy Studies. www.cps.org.uk

www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_166.pdf Developmental dyslexia in adults: a research review

You can order a free, paper copy of the Rose Report, online (register first):
http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/default.aspx?
PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DFES-0201-2006&

Speech to Print: language essentials for teachers. Moats. Pub. Brookes. English Language study guide designed for educators and includes practice exercises with answers.

www.phonicsinternational.com/guidance_book.pdf Debbie Hepplewhite's Overview and Guidance booklet gives an outline of synthetic phonics principles in succinct form.

Teaching Synthetic Phonics. Johnston /Watson. Pub. Learning Matters. Definitive guide to teaching synthetic phonics, written by the researchers who carried out the famous Clackmannanshire study. The new DCSF programme 'Letters and Sounds' is referred to thoughout this book. CAUTION: this book recommends the teaching of letter NAMES from the beginning. www.learningmatters.co.uk/sampleChapters/9781844451210-5.doc Sample Chapter 5.

If you've only got time to read one book, read this one: Why Children Can't Read: and what we can do about it. Diane McGuinness. Pub. Penguin. Out of Print: try Abebooks and Amazon MarketPlace. Fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history of writing systems and up-to-date research on reading methods. Discussion of the book in this article: www.nrrf.org/article_anderson6-18-00.htm

Why Johnny Can't Read: and what you can do about it. Flesch. Pub. HarperCollins.
The original 'Why' book, first published in 1955. American.

Growing a reader from birth: your child's path from language to literacy. Diane McGuinness. Pub. Norton.
Recommended. A guide to understanding a child's emerging language from first babblings to a five year old's mastery of reading.

Why Boys Are Different: And How to Bring Out the Best in Them. Dr. Bonnie Macmillan. Pub. Barron's. Recommended. Researched based but easy to read, written for the parents of babies and young boys.