Book Talks are Coming!
Our class has been learning about what makes a great book talk. Each one of our students will be making a book talk sharing a recent book that they’ve read and enjoyed.
So, what is a book talk?
A booktalk is NOT a review or a book “report.” A book report tells somebody you read the book, a booktalk tries to convince the person to read the book. The key to booktalking is to “sell, don’t tell.” Thus, a booktalk is more of an advertisement or a commercial.
A booktalk is a Performance – you want to “hook” the listeners, to do everything, use every trick you can think of to make the booktalk fun, exciting, and suspenseful.
Not all book talks are created equal. In our book talks, there are certain key ingredients that will help our books talks shine.
[ OPENING ] Hook your audience!
Read a quote from the book, ask a question of your audience, introduce the main character, vividly set the scene,or do a combination of a few of these techniques. Also, a hook can also be nonverbal. You can mimic an action.
Make sure to also give the title and author of the book. Show the book!
[ SUMMARY ]
In a paragraph or two, summarize the plot of the book.Be sure that your summary introduces the main character, identifies the problem, and leads us toward the solution–without giving away the ending!
[ IMPRESSION ] Share your opinion!
How did you feel about the book? What did you think of the author? Would you recommend it to others? What would you rate it?
[ CLOSING ] Entice your audience!
Ask a rhetorical question, read a quote from the book, use a cliffhanger, or do a combination of these techniques. Consider holding up and displaying the book, and announce the title and author once more.
Dressing the part and getting into character is a real plus because it may help to pull the listeners in to your book talk and really appeal to the audience. It’s not mandatory, but a nice touch.
Practicing in front of your friends or a mirror can help you to sound as natural as possible. Using your hands to add gestures, emphasizing certain points can really help make your book talk effective.
Most of all….have fun!
Here are a few examples of book talks that other students have done. Pay attention to aspects of the book talk that really appealed to you or that you could learn from.