Between the Lines: Book Beginnings Let ’ s Peek into a Good Book.

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.” Do you like this opening line? Why or why not?

Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my free time to thinking about death. –John Green What do you learn about the narrator from this opening passage?

“The early morning sky was the color of cat vomit. Of course, Tally thought, you’d have to feed your cat only salmon- flavored cat food for a while, to get the pinks right.” Does this sentence catch your attention?

“A gunshot is the loudest sound in the universe. Especially if the bullet is coming at you.” What works about this opening line? How is it designed to affect readers?

“My father took one hundred and thirty- two minutes to die. I counted.” What questions does this opening statement invite?

“It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure.” What can you predict about this book, based on the first sentence?

“Dear Friend, I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn’t try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have. Please don’t try to figure out who she is because then you might figure out who I am, and I really don’t want you to do that.” Does this opening passage work? Why or why not?

“The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way even if you sniffle a little they won’t hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying, they’ll start talking about it and soon it’ll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.” How does this opening passage engage readers?

“I remember being born. In fact, I remember a time before that. There was no light, but there was music: joints creaking, blood rushing, the heart’s staccato lullaby, a rich symphony of indigestion.” What is the strength of this opening?

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." How does this narrative voice and tone impact your desire to read the book?

 Now, turn to the first page of your independent reading book and study the first line.  Copy it at the top of a piece of lined paper.  Then write about what you think the line accomplishes in terms of engaging the reader and/or setting up the story.  Why do you think the author chose to start that way?  Is it a good beginning for your book? Why or why not? Between the Opening Lines