{"id":2597,"date":"2013-09-08T19:50:32","date_gmt":"2013-09-08T23:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/?p=2597"},"modified":"2013-09-08T19:50:32","modified_gmt":"2013-09-08T23:50:32","slug":"booktalks-and-book-trailers-or-how-to-get-kids-to-check-out-a-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/booktalks-and-book-trailers-or-how-to-get-kids-to-check-out-a-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Booktalks and Book Trailers: Or, How To Get Kids To Check Out A Book"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0Kids can be a tough sell when it comes to convincing them to check out a book. So an effective booktalk is an amazing thing. Booktalks are slightly more formal than just telling one kid how much you loved a book. \u00a0Giving booktalks isn’t something you can snooze through. If you are passionate about the book you’re selling, there can be unexpected and even exciting benefits for everyone.<\/p>\n

\"Unshelved<\/p>\n

Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, Sept. 15, 2003.<\/p>\n

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There might be other reasons that you choose to booktalk a particular book. Maybe you’ve been assigned to sell it, or you feel like you have to align your booktalks with the Common Core standards. Doesn’t matter. You have to find a way to get kids to want to pick it up.<\/p>\n

I just reviewed Witches! The Absolutely True Story of the Disaster in Salem<\/em> by Rosalyn Schanzer (check out the review here<\/a>). This is a fascinating look at the Salem Witch Trials, which becomes even more powerful due to its fantastic design and Schanzer’s amazing black, white, and red scratchboard illustrations. It feels like you are really opening the pages directly into history. I would totally add this to my list of books I love to booktalk, which also include The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker, The Devil’s Arithmetic, and Jeremy Visick<\/em> (it’s been awhile since I actually had to get up in front of a classroom full of kids, though). I understand it’s intimidating to do it, and I think it’s even more so when you have to booktalk \u00a0into a camera as a classroom assignment, so it’s not that I really want to pick on Heather Prince. But this is not how you get kids to pick up a book. You’ve got to give it some pizzazz.<\/p>\n