Booktalking Tips and Techniques

What is a booktalk?

• It is like a commercial. It is an attention grabbing presentation created to catch the audience’s attention and make them want to read the book being presented!

When you do a booktalk you are:

• A performer

• And

• A salesperson

Four Styles of Booktalks:• 1. Plot Summary: Create a cliffhanger ending by

summarizing the plot to a particular point and then stopping. This is the easiest and most common approach.

Four Styles of Booktalks:

• 2. Character Based: Describe a character or pretend to be a character in the book.

Four Styles of Booktalks:• 3. Mood Based: Create a mood by

voice, words you choose, and emphasis. You may want to include the actual words the author has written by reading a passage from the book.

• 4. Scene Based: Focus on one particularly gripping scene in the book. Tell only what happens in that one scene.

Four Styles of Booktalks:

How will you generate interest?• A hook is something

that catches people’s attention. Most songs have a catchy beat, chorus, or sing along part. Think about commercials…

•How will you hook your audience?

What are possible hooks?

• Change your voice and pattern of speech! Is there an accent used by a character that you could use? Can you pretend to be the character?

• Pretend the events of the story really happened to you!

• Present the booktalk as an interview or as a news story.

What are possible hooks?

• Tell the story from the viewpoint of different characters.

• Make it funny…..• Build it around several cliffhangers

that leave your audience wanting to know what happens next!

• Find a phrase that fits to repeat throughout the booktalk.

You can also create interest by:• Adding props

or wearing a costume!

• Having an introductory, concluding, or background piece of music that sets a mood.

The First Sentence

Make it count! Grab the audiences attention by:

• Using a quotation or description of a character

• Focus on a strong feeling• Act out an attention-grabbing behavior• Focus on a shocking event• Relate to something the audience shares

ex. Remember the first day of school….

The Last Sentence

Make it memorable!• If it fits, try to end with the title.• Use the same strategies for the

opening sentence by creating some strong emotion, or include something shocking.

In General:• Keep it simple by focusing on only a few

characters and using short descriptive sentences.

• Maintain eye contact with the audience. Memorize the talk. Even if you are reading a section from the book practice it so you know exactly how you want to read it.

• Keep it short!! three minutes should be about the maximum amount of time.

• Less is more!!• Remember to be responsible and keep

your behavior and language appropriate!• Never give the ending away!!!

Resources UsedAudio:Like 7th Guest-Dollroom. [Online Sound] Available

http://canvaswerks.com/spookymidi.htm, July 29, 2002.Text:Jones, Patrick. Connecting Young Adults and Libraries. Neal

Schuman: New York, 1998.Visuals:Actor. [Online Image] Available

http://www.andersnelsson.com/images/actor.gif, July 27, 2002.

Booktalk . [Online Image] Available http://www.ic.edu.lb/library/images/ainaarbooktalk1.jpg, July 27, 2002.

Resources UsedChinese costume. [Online Image] Available

http://www.hartfordchorale.org/ChinaTour/George,%20Tracy,%20and%20Henley%20in%20Costume.jpg, July 27,2002.

Cliffhanger. [Online Image] Available http:www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~mcsteven/cliffhanger.JPG, July 28, 2002.

Disaster/Fire. [Online Image] Available http://www.handpen.com/Bio/disaster.gif, July 27, 2002.Harry Potter book jacket. [Online Image] Available

http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1547/images/harry-potter.sorcerers.jpg, July 26, 2002.

Haunted House. [Online Image] Available http://www.visi.com/~sack/HAUNTED.gif, July 27, 2002.

Resources UsedHook. [Online Image] Available

http://www.goldcrownjewelers.com/hook.jpg, July 28, 2002.

Trumpet player. [Online Image] Available http://soo.studentorg.wisc.edu/images/opportunities/music.jpg, July 28, 2002.

The End

The PowerPoint was created by Ms. Kate Kelley

7/30/02