AbstractThis study brings together a transactional theory of response and a sociocultural view of learning in an examination of the ways elementary students respond in literature discussion groups. The analyses describe how five fourth‐grade students and a teacher transacted with text and with each other as they talked about books. The analyses also describe how patterns of talk within the group impacted on personal response. The findings indicate that elementary students' response to literature is not limited to movements among text and personal experiences but also includes movements among improvisations stimulated by the text and related texts such as other books and movies. In addition, the findings document ways that the responses of individuals are used as scaffolds for the responses of other group members.