How to Give a Booktalk

Do you have the power to make your friends read a book?  Use these tips to write the best booktalk!

1.  HOOK YOUR AUDIENCE: Get your audience excited to read the book right away. Use a rhetorical question, read a quote, act out a monologue- the more creative the better!
2. SUMMARY: Just like a movie trailer would do, give a brief plot summary of the book WITHOUT giving away the ending! No spoilers! Be sure to introduce the title and author.
3. PERSONAL OPINION:  Share your opinion! Why did you love this book? What did you like about the plot? Characters? How did it make you feel? What other books or movies did this book remind you of? What would you rate it?
4. RECOMMENDATION: What kind of people would like this book? Who would you recommend it to?
5. CLOSE:  Close with another enticing hook that will get your friends to want this book- include a quote, a cliffhanger, another rhetorical question…

Don’t forget:

• Bring the book to your booktalk
• Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!
• Do something unexpected

Photo by Ben White