Get Passionate About Reading!

This week I had the privilege to do something I absolutely LOVE…talk to kids about books!


I started with a book talk of a few of my favorites: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Then, we did a version of Janet Allen’s Book Pass where the students explored four books.  They had about three to five minutes to preview and read the book.  Next, they had one minute to write a few thoughts about the book. Then it was time to pass the book on to a classmate.  After previewing four books, we starred the one with liked the best. I asked students to turn and talk for two minutes about the book they enjoyed and were considering checking out.  About 90% of the class found at least one book to add to their to-read list.

But, wait…that’s not the best part!  The teacher sent me an email yesterday that said: “There was an actual confrontation in my honors class over the book PEEP. Ha! I am glad you increased their motivation!!!” While I don’t condone arguments, I am glad they were passionate enough to vie for the same book! Now that’s sparking an interest in reading.

What great book will you share with someone today?