Foreword vii
Preface xi
Reference xiv
Acknowledgments xv
Part I: Booktalking Techniques
Chapter 1 What Teens Want/What Teens Need 3
Who Are These New Teens Anyway? 3
Reading: It’s Not Just Books Anymore 5
What Do They Read (or Not Read)? 6
Teens Need to Relate 7
Keeping in Touch 8
A Place of Their Own 9
Where Do They Learn About Books? 10
Why Booktalk to Teenagers? 10
A Short History of Booktalking 11
How Do We Know What We Know? 12
SmartGirl.com Survey 13
Houston Public Library Survey 14
Prairie Trails Public Library Survey 15
Bruno & Ridgeway Survey 17
Teenage Research Unlimited Surveys 18
References 19
Books for Teens Mentioned in This Chapter 20
Chapter 2 Choosing Books 21
Where to Find Books Teens Will Want to Read 21
Journal and Magazines 21
The Internet 25
Booktalking Considerations for Various Genres 28
Classics 28
Sports 29
Historical Fiction 30
Science Fiction and Fantasy 30
Romance 31
Fairy Tales 32
Short Stories 33
Mystery 33
Adventure 34
Nonfiction 34
Short or Thin Books 35
Horror 36
Realistic Contemporary Fiction 37
Humor 38
Adult Books 39
Graphic Novels 40
Poetry 41
Special Situations Every Booktalker Encounters 41
What to Do When You Hate the Book 41
Getting the Right Books to the Right Readers at the
Right Time 42
Too Many Teens, Too Few Books 43
Choosing Books for Diverse Groups 44
The Girls and the Boys 44
Multicultural 45
Stereotypes 45
References 46
Books for Teens Mentioned in This Chapter 46
Chapter 3 Techniques 51
Choosing Your Delivery Style 51
Disruptions: The Success Indicator 52
Keeping Them Awake 52
Choosing Your Words 54
What to Say 54
What Not to Say 56
What’s in a Name? 56
You and I 57
Lie a Little 58
References 60
Books for Teens Mentioned in This Chapter 60
Chapter 4 Seven Surefire Booktalking Methods 63
Method 1: Setting a Scene 63
Method 2: Asking a Question 64
Method 3: Drawing Connections 65
Relating the Book to Pop Culture 65
Relating the Book to Current Events 66
Relating the Book to Real Life 67
Method 4: Focusing on a Character 67
Method 5: Hinting at the Plot 68
Method 6: Setting the Mood 68
Method 7: Reading Aloud 69
References 71
Books for Teens Mentioned in This Chapter 72
Chapter 5 Preparing Booktalks 73
How to Start 73
Ten Steps for Writing a Booktalk 75
Examples 76
How to Write and Start a Talk Using Styles that Work 78
Writing Without Reading 80
Keeping It Short 83
Practice 85
35 Dos and 35 Don’ts 86
35 Ways to Lose Your Audience 86
35 Ways to Hook Your Audience 90
References 93
Books for Teens Mentioned in This Chapter 93
Chapter 6 In the Schools 95
Getting There or Getting Them to You 95
Prepare Teachers for Your Visit 97
How Do You Know if Your Booktalks Work? 97
A Final Note 98
References 99
Part II: Ready-to-Present Booktalks
Sample Booktalks From the Author 103
Booktalks Using My Styles 103
Booktalks Utilizing Other Styles 127
Part III: Booktalking Resources
Booktalking Sources Cited in This Text 137
Electronic Mailing Lists 138
Index by Subject, Title, and Author 139
Index by Genre and Theme 151
About the Author 155
