Literacy educators are troubled by the isolated nature of many contemporary reading programs. Too often in middle school classrooms, students read alone, take computerized tests, and do not engage in authentic dialogue with peers. In this article, the authors argue that reading texts individually, while necessary, is not sufficient, and through engaged discussions, students have opportunities to gain new and deeper understandings of texts. Through close examination, the authors explore the meanings young adolescents constructed as they engaged in a literature discussion. They highlight the positions students took in their talk, how they furthered each other's understandings of one another and the text, and how these understandings guided the students' critical analysis of the literature.