1.4 Book Talks
1.4 Book Talks
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Reflect on books I have read so that I can recommend them to other readers
Reflect on books I have read so that I can recommend them to other readers
A. What is a Book Talk?
A book talk is a short presentation about a book with the goal of making others interested in reading the book.
A book talk is not the same as a book review. During a book talk, the aim is to spark interest in the book and explain why others should consider reading it. On the other hand, a book review is when you share your thoughts and judgments about the book, talking about what you liked or did not like.
B. How to Give a Book Talk?
Take a look at Sejal and Sunil's conversation, where Sejal tells Sunil how the book talks are conducted in their reading and writing community.
Remember these key points to make your book talk interesting and appealing.
1. 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. Make sure to also mention the title and author of the book.
2. Summary
In a paragraph or two, summarise 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!
3. Impression: Share your opinion!
How did you feel about the book? What did you think of the author? Would you recommend it to others, why or why not? What would you rate it?
4. Closing
Ask a rhetorical question, read a quote from the book, use a cliffhanger, or do a combination of these techniques!
Check out the videos given below to see some examples of book talks.
Example 1:
Vid 4.1: Book Talk on ‘Wonder’
Example 2:
Vid 4.2: Book Talk on 'Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer'
Example 3:
Vid 4.3: Book Talk on ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’
Example 4:
Vid 4.4: Book talk on 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'
C. Why are Book Talks Important?
Here are a few reasons why book talks are important:
Listening to others' book talks gives us ideas about what to read next. Our friends might tell us about a book that we cannot wait to read!
We get to tell others about the amazing adventures and characters in our favourite books. We get to share and inspire others to read.
Book talks help us learn new and interesting things. We can discover different places, meet fictional characters, and learn about cool facts from books.
When we talk about books, we can make friends who like the similar stories that we do. It is like having a community where everyone loves to read!
Summary:
Summary:
A book talk is a short presentation about a book with the goal of making others interested in reading the book.
A book talk is not the same as a book review. During a book talk, the aim is to spark interest in the book and explain why others should consider reading it. On the other hand, a book review is when you share your thoughts and judgments about the book, talking about what you liked or did not like.
A book talk may follow a structure such as:
Beginning with a hook
Summarise the plot of the story without giving away the ending
Share your opinion about the book
End with something unresolved, wanting more so that listeners will want to read to find out what happens.
Talking about books helps us make friends, share stories, and learn new things. It inspires a love for reading in a group of people who all enjoy books.
Extension/Further Reading:
Watch this video to explore more on building better booktalks.
References
1 What is a Book Talk? We Are Teachers (2018) (link)
2Children's Literature: Book Talks. Millikin University (2024) (link)
3 The Lost Art of the Book Talk. JSTOR (2019) (link)
4 The Power of Book Talks. Musings from the Middle School (n.d.) (link)
5 Importance of Books in Our Life. Leverage Edu (2023) (link)
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