Embedded Files
Book Trailer
Format: use the assignment guidelines
The goal of the basic book talk is to persuade someone to read the book; to the person hooked, or to peak their curiosity enough to read the book.
Rule 1: NEVER give away the ending or tell so much about the story that someone feels that they have already read the story and know what happens in the book.
Begin with an exciting sentence, because as Blues Traveler once said it best, “It’s the hook that brings you back.” Set a stage for the story so that the reader can picture it in his/her mind’s eye. Describe interesting characters enough so that the reader can relate to them and where they are coming from.
Beginning strategies:
· Ask a question that has to do with a significant part of the story.
o Have you ever…?
o How would you feel if…?
o What would you do if…?
· Begin with a character or event in the book that is interesting.
o Though Kate is only 6 years old, she already wears battle scars inside and out.
o It was late and the small town had put itself to bed hours ago when a blinding light poured from the sky into every nook and cranny of the houses below.
In the middle
Select a short passage from the book and do a dramatic retelling or paraphrasing. Scan the text looking at phrases here and there until something catches your eye. If the passage is exciting enough to maintain your interest, it will probably work for some readers too.
Finally
The teaser happens here; save the best for last – leave them on the edge of their seats. Involve the characters or events that you started out with and from what you know about the story, ask an intriguing question or create a cliffhanger for the end.
**The passage does not have to be a specific scene from the book but should revolve around one event.
Format: Follow guidelines for assignments and book reviews
Example follows.
The Way
by Joseph Bruchac
F BRU Genre: Realistic Fiction
What would you do if you were constantly hounded by bullies at school? Cody is one such kid. He spends the last half hour of the day holed up in the school library, keeping his swollen nose, blood-stained shirt, ugly backpack, and bozo sneakers out of sight. He would love to read about martial arts, but the school doesn’t buy any books about them, so he has to settle for bits and pieces that he can get from the books on the Far East. Catching a break seems too much to hope for until he comes home one day to find an uncle he didn’t know he had. His uncle knows martial arts and something more, possibly the way out. What is the way? Does Cody conquer his fears through violence or peace? Maybe he needs a little of both.
Jim Smallwood
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