What is a Book Talk?
Book talks are short speeches that students give to tell about a book they've read. The goal is to share books with classmates, explain why the book is a “must read” — and not include spoilers.
ELAGSE8RL10/ELAGSE8RI10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELAGSE8SL6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
ELAGSE8RL10/ELAGSE8RI10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELAGSE8SL6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
How to Get Started
Need help finding a book to ready for your first Book Talk? Check out K-12 School Reading Lists for 8th, 9th, or high school students. (Remember to select books that are aligned with your Lexile range and appropriate to share/discuss with your classmates. If needed, please feel more than free to discuss any book selections with me if needed. )
Pro Tip: Select a book that YOU are interested in reading. (You will complete several activities over your specific book.) Make sure you have parent permission to read your novel, it's aligned with your reading level, and appropriate to share with your peers. You can never go wrong with the classics; these are books that are highly respected, praised as a literary work, and routinely read by grade level teachers across the country. Cultural literary works are also an excellent opportunity to learn more about your culture or expand your knowledge on the culture/history of an international peer. If you find a book that you would like to read, see if it's available in the school/public library or Lightsail before purchasing. Note: You cannot select The Illustrated Man as your January book selection.
Student Favorites: The Rig (Joe Ducie), Wake Him Up (One U.G.L.Y. Marine Book 1-Michael Anderle), The Chess Queen Enigma (Colleen Gelason), The Hate You Give (Angie Thomas), 2001 (Arthur Clarke), Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Laini Taylor), *Life of Pi (Yann Martel), Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card), The One and Future King (T.H. White), The Serpent King (Jeff Zentner), Twilight (Stephanie Meyer), Deep Blue (Jennifer Donnelly), The 5th Wave (Rick Yancey), The Red Queen (Victoria Aveyard), Every Day, Under the Bridge (Michael Harman), Wolf by Wolf (Ryan Graudin), I Am the Messenger (Marcus Zusak), Shadowmancer (GP Taylor), The House of the Scorpion (Nancy Farmer), Slaugherhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut), Magisterium (by Jeff Hirsh), The Eleventh Plague (Jeff Hirsch), The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), The Young Elites (Mary Lu), Illuminae (Amie Kaufman), Black Like Me (John Howard Griffin), and Life As We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeffer).
Cultural Literary Works: The Hate You Give (Angie Thomas), I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzi), Parrot in the Oven (Victor Martinez), Go Tell It on the Mountain (James Baldwin), The Other Side of Truth (Beverley Naidoo), Black Like Me (John Howard Griffin), and The Boys Who Challenged Hitler (Phillip Hoose)
Classic books that I read in middle school: *Animal Farm (George Orwell), *Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain), *Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank), Go Tell It on the Mountain (James Baldwin), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley),
Classic books that I read in high school: *Lord of the Flies, *Brave New World, *To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou), Hound of the Baskervilles, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Odyssey, The Iliad (by Homer, but I suggest reading the Gareth Hinds' adaptation), Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury), 1984 (George Orwell), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway), The Cournt of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas), and The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck).
Classic books that I read as an undergraduate in college: Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien),
* Per my current knowledge, a movie/film adaptation is available for this book. (Note: I am currently revising the list of recommended books.)
Book Talk Help
Click here to use Find A Book's Lexile and Quantile Tools webpage. This page will allow you to use their Search by Interest tool which will suggest books you may be interested in based up your selected likes/interests. You can also use their Search by Measure tool to locate book's Lexile score or find books within your Lexile range. (Enter your book's author, author, or ISBN number in the Quicksearch.)
Pro Tip: Select a book that YOU are interested in reading. (You will complete several activities over your specific book.) Make sure you have parent permission to read your novel, it's aligned with your reading level, and appropriate to share with your peers. You can never go wrong with the classics; these are books that are highly respected, praised as a literary work, and routinely read by grade level teachers across the country. Cultural literary works are also an excellent opportunity to learn more about your culture or expand your knowledge on the culture/history of an international peer. If you find a book that you would like to read, see if it's available in the school/public library or Lightsail before purchasing. Note: You cannot select The Illustrated Man as your January book selection.
Student Favorites: The Rig (Joe Ducie), Wake Him Up (One U.G.L.Y. Marine Book 1-Michael Anderle), The Chess Queen Enigma (Colleen Gelason), The Hate You Give (Angie Thomas), 2001 (Arthur Clarke), Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Laini Taylor), *Life of Pi (Yann Martel), Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card), The One and Future King (T.H. White), The Serpent King (Jeff Zentner), Twilight (Stephanie Meyer), Deep Blue (Jennifer Donnelly), The 5th Wave (Rick Yancey), The Red Queen (Victoria Aveyard), Every Day, Under the Bridge (Michael Harman), Wolf by Wolf (Ryan Graudin), I Am the Messenger (Marcus Zusak), Shadowmancer (GP Taylor), The House of the Scorpion (Nancy Farmer), Slaugherhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut), Magisterium (by Jeff Hirsh), The Eleventh Plague (Jeff Hirsch), The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), The Young Elites (Mary Lu), Illuminae (Amie Kaufman), Black Like Me (John Howard Griffin), and Life As We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeffer).
Cultural Literary Works: The Hate You Give (Angie Thomas), I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzi), Parrot in the Oven (Victor Martinez), Go Tell It on the Mountain (James Baldwin), The Other Side of Truth (Beverley Naidoo), Black Like Me (John Howard Griffin), and The Boys Who Challenged Hitler (Phillip Hoose)
Classic books that I read in middle school: *Animal Farm (George Orwell), *Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain), *Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank), Go Tell It on the Mountain (James Baldwin), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley),
Classic books that I read in high school: *Lord of the Flies, *Brave New World, *To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou), Hound of the Baskervilles, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Odyssey, The Iliad (by Homer, but I suggest reading the Gareth Hinds' adaptation), Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury), 1984 (George Orwell), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway), The Cournt of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas), and The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck).
Classic books that I read as an undergraduate in college: Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien),
* Per my current knowledge, a movie/film adaptation is available for this book. (Note: I am currently revising the list of recommended books.)
Book Talk Help
Click here to use Find A Book's Lexile and Quantile Tools webpage. This page will allow you to use their Search by Interest tool which will suggest books you may be interested in based up your selected likes/interests. You can also use their Search by Measure tool to locate book's Lexile score or find books within your Lexile range. (Enter your book's author, author, or ISBN number in the Quicksearch.)
Requirements
Resources
How to Do/Create a Book Talk
What is a Book Talk? by Ellen Werner
(Fiction)
(Fiction)
Dr. Gustafson-Build Better Booktalks
Bring the H.E.A.T.
Bring the H.E.A.T.
How to Do a Book Talk by Kourtney Minton
Mr. Burby explains what a book talk is, how it differs from a book report, and how to perform one. Take notes.
Note: Do not read a passage to your audience, unless you believe it contains a very significant point/quote that would add something to your presentation.
Note: Do not read a passage to your audience, unless you believe it contains a very significant point/quote that would add something to your presentation.
Book Talk Examples (Good)
Student Book Talk: Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Jasneet from Fairfax County Public Schools
Jasneet from Fairfax County Public Schools
Student Book Talk: Code of Honor by Alan Gratz
Nick from Fairfax County Public Schools
Nick from Fairfax County Public Schools
Librarian Zack: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Book Talk Examples (Bad)
Additional Book Talk Examples
Treasure or Tragedy: What do you like/dislike?
Kierra Parrot presents: Unusual Chickens for the Poultry Famer
Seji Recommends: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Mr. Rigney presents: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Becca presents: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Kathy Williams (English Teacher) and Annalee Schenebele (Librarian)
Kathy Williams (English Teacher) and Annalee Schenebele (Librarian)
Mr. Sharp presents: Restart by Gordon Korman
Mr. Greenberg presents: Hey Kiddo by Jericho Oscar
Nicole Staker presents: Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey
Ana presents: The Terrible Twos by Jory John and Mac Barnett
Kierra Parrot presents: The Bee Book
Non-fiction Book Talk example.
Non-fiction Book Talk example.