Several times throughout the year, I have visited classes to give booktalks or invited classes into the library to participate in book speed dating. For each booktalk, I meet with the teacher to discuss whether the students need a certain kind of book (e.g., nonfiction heroes, historical fiction). Then I pull a selection of books, put together a flyer promoting these, and create a bookmark to give students when they check out their books. The flyer and bookmark give them something tangible to remind them of what I've discussed, and they offer space for more suggestions than the ones I am able to talk about. When I go into the classroom, I introduce the theme and tell the students a little about the book, using several different approaches (e.g., first person, discussion, excerpt). Following the booktalks, the students go to the library to check out books they like, and I am on hand to assist them.

With speed dating, a class comes down to the library, and I have bins of books set up on tables in the center section. Students divide into four groups, and then they have four minutes per table to get to know the books in the bin and pick out one or two to "date." During the date, they complete a simple form that gives them a numeric score to help them decide at the end which book they want to check out. Students get really into this activity, and I've had teachers say this is the most excited they've seen their students about books.

Both of these activities give me a chance to really get into the classroom to promote literacy and reading for pleasure. I am happy to have the opportunity to talk books with students and to help them find novels and nonfiction that meet their needs and capture their interest.