Book Talk

A book talk is a short (3-5 minutes), oral sharing of a book that you have read. 


Use the following tips during your presentation...

• Speakers intro must get audiences attention
• Maintain eye contact with the audience
• Demonstrate enthusiasm for the books
• Tell enough to be interesting without giving the story away
• Use a conclusion that makes us want to read the book

It may include book elements that...

• Made you laugh
• Made you angry
• Made you cry
• Made you think about things that happened to you
• Made you think about things you never thought about
• Made you say “Wow!”

The following questions could be used as guidelines to help a student prepare for his/her book talk:

FICTION

• Why did you choose this book?
• How did this book make you feel?
• Tell about something that happened or somebody in the book that reminded you of your own life.
• What was your favorite or least favorite part in the book and why?
• What questions would you like to ask the main character?

NONFICTION

• Why did you choose this book?
• What were the most memorable things you learned while reading this book?
• What did the author include that helped you understand the topic or information?
• What did you learn as a result of reading this book?
• What questions do you still have after reading this book?

    Suggestions for students to make your book talks even more fun:

• Read a favorite passage from your book (less than one minute).
• Show and tell about the cover of the book
• Tell a little about the author
• Talk about other books by this author
• Mention other books that remind you of this one
• Show pictures, photographs or diagrams from your book

Source: Book Talk!


Book Talk Rubric (link)

Other Book Talk Tips